In 2017, Opioids Killed More People than Car Accidents or Gun Violence
TALLADEGA, Ala., April 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series team owner Rick Ware and American professional stock car road racing driver Kevin O’Connell join national television host Eric Bolling to launch the “Race To Erase Opioids” campaign, and unveil a specially-messaged & wrapped race car at the Sunday Geico 500 NASCAR race at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama, it was announced today.
Bolling says he’s become an “accidental expert” on opioid overdoses following the death of 19-year-old Eric Chase Bolling.
As part of an on-going national campaign, Bolling, Ware & O’Connell will draw attention to the opioids epidemic in America and its horrendous fallout on American families with a series of media initiatives, public service announcements, educational outreach and NASCAR race day-based events.
Eric Bolling has been a frontline advocate for President Trump’s war on the Opioid Crisis in America.
The former Fox News host has recently been touring the country, warning parents and their children of the dangers of opioid use on the six-month anniversary of the death of his son from an opioid overdose in Colorado.
“Six months ago, I lost my college sophomore, my only child, my son, my best friend.” To parents: ‘Not my child’ syndrome is deadly. To kids: ‘One pill can kill,’” he says.
NASCAR racing veteran Rick Ware is celebrating 35 years in the racing industry and his company, Rick Ware Racing (RWR), a leading professional motorsports marketing and branding company based in Thomasville, NC. Among NASCAR’s veteran teams, Rick Ware Racing (RWR) has competed in every NASCAR sanctioned series, ARCA Series, the WMA Motocross Series, AMA Arenacross, Motocross and Supercross Series, Summer X-Games and IMSA.
Kevin O’Connell commented, “I have driven for RWR and produced race day events with Rick involving companies that we have introduced to the sport of NASCAR racing. This effort is different, as this crisis has affected many people in our lives personally, from family members to close friends to the people in our communities that we meet and share this experience with. We want to contribute to getting the word out through our sport.”
In 2018, more than two million Americans will suffer from addiction to opioids and in 2017 opioids killed more people than car accidents or gun violence. Drug overdoses are now a leading cause of death and opioid-involved overdose deaths have doubled in the past 10 years.
Eric Bolling spent 15 years in the business world, at the New York Mercantile Exchange, and from there, he accepted a host position on CNBC’s “Fast Money.” He later moved to FOX News, where he spent 10 years as a host and co-host of numerous shows in prime time.
He is also the highly acclaimed author of two New York Times best-sellers, “Wake Up America” in 2016 and “The Swamp” in 2017.
President Trump has assigned more than $1 billion in funding to address drug addiction and the opioid crisis. More than $800 million has been distributed for prevention, treatment, first responders, prescription drug monitoring programs, recovery and other care in communities, inpatient settings, and correctional systems.
Information: www.racetoeraseopioids.com; www.facebook.com/EricBolling; www.wareracing.com
