A different kind of racing will be the focus at Atlanta Motor Speedway when the flag drops June 15 on the inaugural Speedway Spin.

  Cyclists will have special access to the speedway as well as the opportunity to ride a 62-mile Metric Century (100 kilometers). There will also be options of 50 or 25 kilometers for those who want a slightly shorter course.

  The event has special significance for one Henry County family. Dr. Humberto (Peto) Fallas, founding eye doctor of Fallas Family Vision in McDonough, will be riding while his son, Liam, is the guest of honor.

  The race was organized to benefit Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, whose officials approached the Fallas family about Liam’s participation because of the role CHOA played in his life a year ago, when he spent nearly three weeks in the hospital with a life-threatening illness.

  “He pulled through,” said Peto Fallas. “It was a good outcome.”

  Liam was seven years old when he was taken to the emergency department at CHOA in April of 2018, and he was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit with a dangerous bacterial infection stemming for an a adverse reaction to an antibiotic he was taking. The family faced 10 stressful days without improvement before he began to recover.

  Peto recalled how his son lay in a hospital bed for days on end, sleeping most of the time. Gifts from family and friends sat unopened and he didn’t seem to respond to much of anything. Remembering a favorite Lego set – a yellow submarine – that Liam had built at home but was later knocked to pieces as the boys played in their house, the father bought a new one and brought it to the hospital. It sat for a few days as well.

  One day Liam woke up and saw the brightly-colored box. He asked his mother, Elizabeth, “Can I have that?” Within an hour he had put it together while his mom watched.

  “That was when I knew he had turned a corner,” said Peto. “Something so small and so insignificant as a Lego set will forever bring a smile to me. That was the sign that my child was going to make it.”

  Today he is back to his active self, at home with his parents and his brothers, Noah and Max. Meanwhile, his father looks forward to lending a hand in benefitting CHOA by taking part in one of his favorite recreational pursuits.

  As grand marshal of the event, Liam will serve as the official starter, according to CHOA community development officer Laura Turner. He will lead the riders on their inaugural lap while in the Atlanta Motor Speedway pace car.

  “He will also be on hand to cheer the cyclists along the course and remind them of the many patients and families they are supporting as they ride,” said Turner. “Liam fought hard to overcome his unexpected illness, and I know he will be an inspiration to other patients like him, as well as our cyclists at Speedway Spin. We are thrilled that the Fallas family is part of it.”

  Peto Fallas used to ride up to 200 miles a week, but he has dialed it back considerably since Liam’s illness and focused more on family time. He typically gets out early on Saturday and goes for 50 miles or so, he said, sticking to Henry County’s gravel roads for safety.

  “Gravel riding has become the new trend,” he said. “It’s kind of the flavor of the month.”

  He rides with Southern Crescent Cycling, many of whose members will be out and about in the various phases of the Speedway Spin. Participation is open to individuals as well as four-person teams.

  Registration is now available for a fee of $75, and those who raise $500 or more will receive a specially-designed Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) cycling jersey. Each of the first 96 teams or individuals to raise a total of $1,000 will have their own garage bay for their bicycles. These bays are the same as those that NASCAR drivers use for racing events at AMS.

  Check out the Speedway Spin page on Facebook for more information.