“Ten Days Of Giving” Tour Culminates With NASCAR Day Celebratio​n

The NASCAR Foundation and the NASCAR industry celebrate the 10th Annual NASCAR Day today at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the final stop on the “Ten Days of Giving” tour. This special day is an unprecedented celebration of drivers, corporate partners, media and fans uniting with The NASCAR Foundation to support a range of charitable causes that are relevant and meaningful to those within the NASCAR family.

“We are proud of the NASCAR industry’s contributions to communities through NASCAR Day over the past 10 years,” said Betty Jane France, chairwoman of The NASCAR Foundation. “The industry has responded as we envisioned, when we began the foundation, helping us raise almost $12 million for various charities, with an emphasis on children’s causes. These funds have helped more than 100,000 children through numerous organizations including those participating with the tour.”

As part of the day’s festivities, The NASCAR Foundation is hosting a celebratory cake-cutting ceremony in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage at Charlotte Motor Speedway that includes appearances by NASCAR drivers and industry representatives. Additionally, the foundation is presenting a check to Victory Junction for $3,385,454 symbolizing donations collected for the camp over the past 10 years of NASCAR Day.

For the first time, The NASCAR Foundation launched a “Ten Days of Giving” tour that included philanthropic activities in several markets across the country. At each stop on the tour, which began May 8 in Atlanta, the foundation partnered with various organizations to deliver surprise acts of kindness. The tour also visited Winston-Salem, N.C.; Brooklyn, Mich.; Darlington, S.C.; Kansas City, Kan.; New York, and Daytona Beach, Fla.

Some of the highlights from the last 10 days are listed below.

Day One:The NASCAR Foundation visited the George Washington Carver Boys & Girls Club in Atlanta, Ga., and surprised the kids with a new flat-screen TV and video gaming equipment. In addition, The NASCAR Foundation celebrated The Coca-Cola Company’s 10 years of contributions, totaling $500,000. NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver John Wes Townley participated in the day’s activities. Atlanta Motor Speedway joined the celebration by giving the kids race tickets to the track’s NASCAR Nationwide Series Great Clips 300 race in September.

Day Four: The NASCAR Foundation and Darlington Raceway honored Stephanie Decker and her family with an all-inclusive VIP race experience. Decker, a mother of three, lost both her legs after a tornado ripped through Henryville, Ind., in 2012 and leveled their home. Stephanie used her body to shield her children from the falling debris, and, as a result, the kids survived unharmed. The Stephanie Decker Foundation’s mission is to assist children in need of prosthetics and to help others gain access to cutting-edge prosthetics. Decker was recognized and presented with a $5,000 donation from The NASCAR Foundation for her charity onstage as part of the pre-race festivities prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

Day Five: The NASCAR Foundation, along with NASCAR driver and Kansas City native Jennifer Jo Cobb, surprised mothers staying at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kansas City with beautiful, fresh flowers in honor of Mother’s Day. In 2010, as part of its seventh annual NASCAR Day celebration, The NASCAR Foundation and Sprint donated a playground for children at the facility in honor of Tom Murphy, former board member of The NASCAR Foundation and Sprint Vice President of Corporate Brand Marketing, who was tragically killed in 2009.

Day Eight: The NASCAR Foundation surprised all past Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award finalists with donations of supplies needed for their charities. The eight charities include: Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind (Robert Weaver), Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation (Ali McDonough), Autism Academy of South Carolina (Lorri Shealy Unumb), Autism Speaks (Jake Bernstein), Bridge of Books Foundation (Patty Aber), Camp Sunshine of Sebago Lakes (Ron Eby), PBJ Connections, Inc. (Brenda Doner) and Starlight Children’s Foundation (Michael Jackson).

Camping World, the Official Outdoor and RV Retailer of NASCAR, joined the cause this year and offered the limited edition pin, designed by NASCAR’s first officially licensed artist Sam Bass, at Camping World SuperCenters nationwide for a $10 donation to The NASCAR Foundation. NASCAR fans and supporters can pick up their collectible pins through the end of the season at track during select race weekends or online at NASCAR.com/foundation.

To read a recap on each of the stops during the tour, please visit http://nas.cr/g4zP. Fans and supporters can join the conversation on Twitter using hashtag #NASCARDay.

NASCAR PR