Three weeks ago, Charlie Holben was involved in a fiery crash at Lernerville Speedway.

Less than three months from now, the longtime Sprint car driver from Cabot will be walking his eldest daughter down the aisle at her wedding.

"I am very, very grateful he's going to be there," Tiffany Holben said of her father. "He and I are so close. I've always been Daddy's little girl.

"The day after the accident, he promised me he'd still be walking down that aisle From that moment, I knew he would be," she added.

Holben, 43, was involved in a three-car crash June 4 at the Sarver track. All three cars rolled over and Holben's car was resting on its roof when the fuel cell was punctured and the car burst into flames.

Holben suffered second- and third-degree burns over 40 percent of his body. He's already had three skin graft surgeries and might be released from UPMC Mercy Hospital within a week.

The accident could have been much worse.

"If he's in that car another seven or 10 seconds ... I don't know if he makes it," said Holben's cousin, Bob Poston. "The emergency crews were remarkable."

Holben is expected to make a full recovery, though that road will be a long one.

To assist the family with expenses, Poston and his wife Amy, are organizing a benefit golf outing Aug. 21 at Suncrest Golf Course. The four-man scramble will be at the same course Holben held an annual fundraising golf outing for his racing ventures.

He doesn't plan to drive a Sprint car again.

"Fire was always his worst fear. He's done racing," said Tiffany Holben, 23. "Things like that just don't happen in this sport. That was a very freakish accident."

"I don't blame him," said Holben's crew chief, Mike Berkoben. "That was a dramatic scene. ... I can't describe how I felt seeing that. I'm just happy to still have Charlie as a friend."

Holben was best man at Berkoben's wedding. Berkoben has been his crew chief for 11 years, as long as Holben has been racing a Sprint car.

Holben spent 27 years as a dirt track race driver, including years in a Pure Stock, a Limited Late Model and a Modified. He won 35 features at Challenger Raceway in Indiana (Pa.), five at Lernerville and was the 1995 Pure Stock points champion at Challenger.

He began his racing career as a demolition derby driver at age 15.

"He won one Sprint feature at Challenger," Berkoben said. "We've always been a low-budget team. We build a lot of things other people just buy. He was off to a good start this year.

"Only a few weeks ago, he passed a few cars to finish fourth," Berkoben added. "The car was really hooked up that night. I asked him what it felt like out there and he said 'I had a blast.'"

Holben's annual golf outing used to attract 20 to 24 foursomes. Many more are anticipated for the Aug. 21 event.

"It's only been word of mouth so far," Amy Poston said. "We're getting flyers posted, but it's incredible how many people have already stepped forward, volunteering their time, asking what they can do to help."

The Postons also are seeking prize donations for a Chinese raffle.

"My Dad is such a great guy," Tiffany Holben said. "I always knew a lot of people cared about him, but you don't realize how many people really care until something like this happens."

Tiffany has been on hand for nearly all of her father's races but didn't see the crash on June 4. She left the track early that night with a migraine headache.

"I visited Dad in the pits, told him I felt like crap and asked if it was OK if I went home," Tiffany said. "He said it was fine, we told each other 'I love you' and I left. Our house is only right down the street.

"When I got in the door and the phone was ringing. ... I had a strange feeling something was wrong."

Upon hearing the news, Tiffany returned to the track and got there in time to see her father awaiting his helicopter ride to the hospital in Pittsburgh.

"He wouldn't let the medical personnel let me see him like that, but I was able to talk to him," Tiffany said. "I'm glad I didn't see the crash."

Since the accident, she has served as a second mother in her family, running her younger siblings to their activities while her mother sits with Holben in the hospital.

"When Mom needs a break, I go sit with Dad. One of us is always there," she said.

While Holben won't race again, he does plan to return to Lernerville to join another driver's race team.

"It'd be sad if he didn't do that," Tiffany said. "Dad is filled with racing knowledge. He's built his own motors. The sport's more of an addiction than a hobby to him."

Wherever Holben goes, Berkoben is sure to follow.

"Absolutely," he said. " We're like brothers. We're a team for life."

To participate in the Holben golf outing or to contribute in any way, call Bob and Amy Poston at 724-352-9092.