POCONO RACEWAY -- After a big race weekend at Pocono raceway, there are literally tons of trash and recycling to clean up. The raceway gets it all looking good with a little help from some kids from Luzerne County.
Pedaling around Pocono Raceway, Brayden Reakes, age 10, keeps busy all race weekend long on a bike he found in a trash pile near his home in Shickshinny.
"Drive around and collect cans and stuff I can make junk money off of and sell," said Brayden.
He has been helping with the massive post-race cleanup effort at the track for the past five years.
"Everybody knows him up here," said his father Frank Reakes. "They yell, 'Hey, can man!' and he goes running up and gets their cans. They all save them for him. He's got a lot of customers."
Each race, Brayden makes about $50 to $75 just picking up what others didn't. He's even souped up his bike with the money he's made.
And now his friend Thomas McRoberts of Nanticoke is helping too, surprised by how much work there is to do.
"This is my first time here and I wasn't expecting all of this."
About 50 maintenance workers and waste management crews and Gotta Go porta potties were busy cleaning after the race too, removing about three tons of trash and a couple tons of recycling.
Track officials say you just never know what you're going to find in the infield during cleanup and some fans found a rather unique way of helping out, filling up a kiddie pool with all of their recyclables.
"We'll have this whole place cleaned up in about two days with all of the garbage taken out of here and all of the recycling stuff taken out of here. It's pretty impressive to watch it happen," said Pocono Raceway President and CEO Brandon Igdalsky
A process that used to take more than a week now moves a little smoother with cooperation from campers.
Reakes says he's proud of the part his son plays in this process.
"He's cleaning up and making a few dollars and learning responsibility."