MOORESVILLE, N.C– (August 22nd, 2022) – Keen Parts / CorvetteParts.net, NASCAR Driver Ryan Ellis, and Alpha Prime Racing are proud to announce today that Keen Parts / CorvetteParts.net will be utilizing their sponsorship of the No.44 Chevy to support the Laughlin Family Foundation, which raises money to help those affected by rare cancer through education, awareness, and research. This fundraising campaign will run through the NASCAR Xfinity Series Race, the Food City 300, at Bristol Motor Speedway on Friday, September 16th, 2022. The No.44 CorvetteParts.net / Keen Parts team will also be running a pink, white, and lavender color scheme at the race – the lavender color representing all of those affected by cancer, and as a tribute to The Laughlin Family Foundation.
During the duration of the campaign, fans who donate $100.00 or more will be able to get their name, or name of choice, on Ellis’ No.44 CorvetteParts.net Chevy as part of their “300 Laps Against Cancer” campaign – 300 names will be available, representative of the 300 laps of the race. Names will be spread from the trunk of the racecar down the side, integrated into the scheme. Fans can also show their support by recognizing someone who has been affected by cancer through the $100.00 donation. The deadline for name purchasing/submission is September 7th. Special event crew shirts will also be available for preorder for $75 beginning Monday, August 22nd until Friday, August 26th. Donations and crew shirt pre-orders can be made here: https://www.thelaughlinfamilyfoundation.org. In addition, VIP pit passes for the September 16th race will be available for auction, as well as other one-of-a-kind sports memorabilia.
Limited corporate/individual on-car sponsorships are also available through donations starting at $2500 – please email courtney@thelaughlinfoundation.org or ryanellisracing@gmail.com to inquire about pricing/locations. All proceeds will benefit The Laughlin Family Foundation’s fight against rare cancers.
As part of this initiative, Keen Parts is also a proud sponsor of the 2nd Annual Laughlin Family Foundation Celebrity Golf Tournament on Monday, September 12th, 2022 at the Crofton Country Club in Crofton, Md. Two VIP pit passes to the September 16th race with meet and greets with Ellis and Craig Laughlin, as well as a sponsorship on Ellis’ CorvetteParts.net racecar will be available for auction exclusively at this event. Ellis will also be participating as a celebrity golfer at the tournament.
This will be the second year in a row that Tom and TJ Keen have chosen to raise money for the Laughlin Family Foundation. Last year, they raised over $20,000, which was split between the Laughlin Family Foundation and Susan G Komen. They’re hoping to raise over $100,000 this year.
CorvetteParts.net, a family-owned business owned by Tom and TJ Keen, sells parts and accessories for Corvette-lovers of all generations. They have been loyal NASCAR sponsors and friends of many within the industry since 2011, supporting drivers of all levels since then. The Keen’s elected to donate much of their sponsorship space to these foundations to raise money for these great causes. Just a few weeks ago, the Keen’s ran a special Autism Awareness / Autism Acceptance scheme at Michigan International Speedway with a colorful hand-drawn car, created by the family of former NHL Player Chris Thorburn and his wife Sara. Their three children, Bennett, Mary, and Oscar, sketched out the car’s design at home.
The Laughlin Family Foundation’s mission is to help spread awareness, education, and research for rare cancers. Craig Laughlin, former NHL player, and current NBC Sports Washington analyst, started the foundation when his wife Linda was diagnosed with a rare gynecological cancer in 2018. To date, the foundation has raised over $300,000 and awarded Johns Hopkins School Of Medicine a $100,000 grant in 2021, which funded the first-ever endometrial cancer symposium. This symposium brought together many of the best health experts and doctors in the world to educate the community, doctors, nurses, and patient advocates on the best practices and treatment options for endometrial cancers, with a goal to help save women’s lives.
“I’m really excited that we are doing this event together again this year. It’s so great that Tom and TJ Keen have chosen to help raise money and awareness with their sponsorship. We had a lot of working together last year and we raised a lot of money with a short turnaround. Now that we have a little more time to get creative with the fundraising, and the ability to combine our race’s efforts with the golf event, we’re hoping we can raise even more money for this great cause,” said Ellis, driver of the No.44 Keen Parts Chevy.
“Tom and I are honored to be a small part of the Laughlin Family Foundation’s mission to bring awareness once again to a disease that is devastating to families everywhere,” said TJ Keen. “We hope that this race week is successful in raising money to help however we can for the fight against cancer.”
“We are thrilled that Tom and TJ Keen at CorvetteParts.net and Ryan Ellis chose to collaborate with us for a second year in a row to help support and raise awareness for rare cancers. Last year was a great success as we raised over $20,000, and we hope to build on that in 2022. All rare cancer diagnoses combined account for 40% of cancer deaths in the United States, so we are grateful and honored to work with Tom, TJ, and Ryan again to help create awareness and save the lives of those affected by rare cancers,” said Craig Laughlin of The Laughlin Family Foundation.
Tune in information: The Keen Parts’ special Laughlin Family Foundation No.44 Chevy scheme will make its on-track debut at 2:35pm ET on Friday, September 16th for a short practice session. Two-lap qualifying follows practice at 3:10pm ET leading into Friday night’s Food City 300, with coverage beginning at 7:30 pm ET on FS1. Stay tuned to Ryan’s and Keen Parts’ social media for giveaways and more information!
About Keen Parts / CorvetteParts.net:
Keen Parts is a leading manufacturer and retailer of Corvette parts and accessories. We have over thirty years of happy customers all over the world and look forward to helping you with your Corvette needs. We are not an anonymous Corvette website. Our retail shop and warehouses are located in Cleves, Ohio just north of Cincinnati. We are right off Interstate Highway I-74 and only six minutes from Cincinnati. We stock parts available for Corvettes from 1953 to the present. If you own a Corvette, we have the Corvette parts and accessories that you need! Visit www.CorvetteParts.net or call 1-800-757-KEEN (5336).
