Brian Gahm and Doug Kirk might as well be brothers, and even though they have different bloodlines, they are their brother’s keeper.

“He and I are like two brothers,” said Kirk, following a final round in Rockingham where they raced. “We talk every day. We race together. We travel together. We vacation together. Everything we do, we do together.”

That’s why when Kirk, from Lenore, WV, and his family were stranded due to severe weather; it was Gahm who fought the elements to help not only his stranded friend but members of that community stranded without power or heat in the dangerously cold weather. The unselfish Kirk asked for help for his community first.

Brian Gahm and Doug Kirk might as well be brothers, and even though they have different bloodlines, they are their brother’s keeper.

“He and I are like two brothers,” said Kirk, following a final round in Rockingham where they raced. “We talk every day. We race together. We travel together. We vacation together. Everything we do, we do together.”

That’s why when Kirk, from Lenore, WV, and his family were stranded due to severe weather; it was Gahm who fought the elements to help not only his stranded friend but members of that community stranded without power or heat in the dangerously cold weather. The unselfish Kirk asked for help for his community first.

"Doug Kirk and that whole county got hit really hard,” said Cathy Strictland, Gahm’s longtime female friend. “Nobody in that area has power or heat. They don’t think they'll get it back on before Christmas. We just gathered up 50 fuel jugs and about 50 Kerosene heaters, 25 Propane heaters, everything any store in a 45 mile radius had, along with 10 generators.

“They called us to see if we could help them gather these things so they could help all the people in their community, especially the elderly, who can't get out to help themselves. They have spent the last two days gathering and organizing this effort, we were just a small part of that.”

Despite their own challenges, it was the Kirk family that made their way out in the community to help others in need. In the midst of their admirable efforts encountered tragedy of their own. One of the Kirk family’s homes, the one belonging to his sister and located next to Doug, caught fire and burned.

“They are really having a tough time,” Strictland added. “I wish there was more we could do. They are just really good people. They are always so willing to help anyone in need.”

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