Patrick Dempsey Racing to Raise Money for Kids

Posted on Jun 15, 2009 @ 08:09PM

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Now there is one more reason to call actor Patrick Dempsey "McDreamy." The Grey's Anatomy star has offered himself up for auction - at least a weekend with him - at the Daytona International Speedway this July 3 and 4. It's all part of a fundraiser for Fired Up for Kids, a charity started by fireman-turned NASCAR official Todd Godek to benefit Denver's Children's Hospital Burn Center.

Dempsey will be competing in the VIP Grand AM/NASCAR Race Day Experience and fans can bid via charitybuzz.com for a package that includes a meet and greet with the actor, seats in his racing pit, a pace car ride with Godek, airfare to Daytona and two nights hotel stay. The bid currently stands at $7,250 and the auction closes at 3 PM EDT June 17 - so fans had better start their engines and get to the auction site before it's too late.

Dempsey is no slouch as a racer. On June 14, he and teammates Joe Foster and Don Kitch, finished in a respectable 9th place in the prestigious 24 Hours of LeMans. Patrick was behind the wheel for more than nine hours of the race. "This is like a win. To be here and be in the top 10, it's like a win to me," Demsey said.

Patrick suits up again June 20 for the EMCO Gears Classic in Lexington, Ohio. (Photo: Zuma Press)