Building a 2,300-square-foot home in freezing temperatures in just six days is not what the average NASCAR driver plans to do during his offseason.

Most jet-set to warm climates to sip umbrella drinks.

But Matt Kobyluck isn't most drivers nor is the 2008 Camping World Series East champion most people.

Kobyluck has spent several 12-hour days in 10-degree, wet weather preparing a building site for Carol Girard's new home in Voluntown, Conn.

Girard and her four children are the most recent beneficiaries of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, ABCs reality show that builds homes for families devastated by tragedy.

The Girard family lost their home to a kitchen fire in 2007 in the midst of trying to refinance the mortgage. Forced to file bankruptcy, the family moved into tents behind the burned out two-story home with a foreclosure sign out front.

A friend loaned the family a travel trailer to park in their back yard, but before the Girards could recover financially, they were hit with yet a greater devastation a year later.

Carol's husband, Thomas, drowned in Connecticut's Green Falls Pond near their home and their son Marc died while trying to save him.

"I'm a father and this hits close to home," said Kobyluck, a native of Connecticut and father of three. "This family needs a second chance. When you hear their story you feel compelled to help."

Kobyluck donated resources and manpower through his family owned trucking and construction business. As president, Kobyluck provided a week's worth of manpower and supplies used to demolish the old Girard house.

The demolition took place Dec. 6, and was followed by a complete 30-hour effort to complete the concrete and backfill work in temperatures nearing the zero-degree mark.

Matt Kobyluck, left, and others brave the winter conditions to lend a hand.

“

I feel privileged to be in a position to be able to help out.

”

MATT KOBYLUCK

The project was a family affair that included Kobyluck's brothers Mark, Chris and Joshua, as well as his parents, Dan and Maureen, who also helped out at the construction site.

"Everyone at the company, not just my family, contributed in some way to this," Kobyluck said. "We had employees that didn't sleep for days. It was just incredible what they were willing to do to help this family. It was cold and on top of the cold came monsoon rain."

But giving back when you're able is important, Kobyluck said.

"There were many circumstances I would have liked a second chance at something and never got it or the opportunity," he added. "Helping this family is just the right thing to do."

This weekend Kobyluck will be honored as the 2008 Camping World Series East champion in his hometown of Uncasville. The 38-year-old driver locked up the title with a series-leading four wins, nine top-five and 12 top-10 finishes.

But the pageantry of the banquet seems secondary to the honor Kobyluck felt working at the construction site. Every day the site was crawling with volunteers from Voluntown and nearby areas. From larger businesses to mom-and-pop pizza shops, vendors of all sizes pitched in for the cause.

"The feeling of community outreach was overwhelming," Kobyluck said. "It was all pretty special."

The Girard family, with the help of Extreme Makeover host Ty Pennington, will "move that bus" and see their newly constructed home Dec. 11, just before Kobyluck heads to Mohegan Sun Resort to received his championship award.

The reality show airs Feb. 8. Those who helped turn a shell of a house into a new home will tell a story of renewed sense of hope for the Girard family.

"This family has been through so much tragedy, and I'm happy, as a member of this community, to help out," Kobyluck said. "I feel privileged to be in a position to be able to help out."