PORT ROYAL, Juniata County -- Sorely missed in the racing community and remembered by many.
"He was pretty much the reason why I got into racing," said Tyler Bear, Sprint Car driver.
Whether they knew him or not, runners flooded Port Royal for the first Greg Hodnett Foundation 5K.
For some, it was their first and they made a fashionable but patriotic statement.
"It might have been a bad choice after about a mile and a half, but it was well worth it, that's for sure," Bear added.
Think that was the best, just wait.
"The first 5K I ever did was with Greg, it was a Turkey Trot," said Sherry Hodnett. "So, I think he would have thought this was really cool. That this was being put on and that I actually did this."
For the overall winner, the race brought back some memories coming to the track.
"I used to come with my grandparents and stuff so this used to be an every weekend thing," said Brayden Harris, a junior at Mifflin County High School. "When the races would come, I would come out."
Doesn't matter where they finished because everyone had the same cheerleader.
"He was cheering every single one of these people," Sherry said. "When we would go run. He was my biggest cheerleader."
The celebration rolled on with a corn hole tournament and an auction, which raised over $23,000 for the foundation.
The night was capped off with Port Royal's first Greg Hodnett Classic.
"We've always carried a little pride, hometown pride with us," said Cub Mogue, a childhood friend of Greg who traveled from Memphis, Tennessee to show his support. "I got him one time because his shirt said Thomasville, Pennsylvania. I didn't say Memphis, Tennessee anyone. He said, that's where I live now. He adopted you guys as they adopted him."
Before the feature event took place, five of Greg's PA Posse cars, driven by current sprint car drivers, led the pack in the missing man formation. Lucas Wolfe took the checkered flag and the first Greg Hodnett Classic trophy.
