NASCAR and Monster Mile Give Voice to Autism Speaks
There is no doubt that one of NASCAR’s greatest charitable partnerships has been with Dover International Speedway and Autism Speaks, an organization devoted to helping those impacted by autism. But with the diagnosis on the rise, including one in 88 children affected, NASCAR and the Monster Mile have helped Autism Speaks find an even stronger voice.
Although Dover International Speedway forged the partnership with Autism Speaks seven years ago, this year marked the third straight year FedEx joined the effort to team up with the speedway and Autism Speaks. The track hosted multiple charity auctions and a track walk to benefit the NASCAR Foundation and Autism Speaks, which raised money for the cause.
The Monster Mile even created a program that has all of the race participants sporting the Autism Speaks decal, which has brought huge awareness to the cause.
But even more important has been the awareness raised by the NASCAR community and Dover International Speedway over the years of the partnership with Autism Speaks. And for many in the NASCAR community, that awareness has been very personal.
“I have an 18 year old son with autism who talks about NASCAR all the time,” Artie Kempner, Coordinating Director of NASCAR on Fox, said. “This partnership between NASCAR, Dover International Speedway and Autism Speaks came together in 2007.”
“When FedEx came on board, it’s just grown,” Kempner continued. “The awareness is that much greater.”
“Autism is not a foreign word to them,” Kempner said. “Families know autism is not a hopeless situation.”
“To be involved with NASCAR is phenomenal because this community gets behind these types of causes,” Kempner continued. “There is no better sport for community involvement like this than NASCAR.”
For NASCAR driver Jamie McMurray, increasing awareness using his NASCAR celebrity is also critical. In fact, McMurray currently stars in an Autism Speaks and Ad Council Public Service Announcement campaign for the cause.
“My niece is 15 years old now and is affected by autism,” McMurray said. “My Foundation has done what we can to create awareness and I will continue work hard for the cause.”
One of the most significant impacts that NASCAR has made in partnership with Autism Speaks is in the area of advocacy. In fact, the organization is currently working on new laws throughout the country thanks to a NASCAR connection with Lori Unumb, who was the 2012 Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award winner and now serves as the VP of State Government Affairs for Autism Speaks
“My oldest child Ryan, who is twelve, is severely affected by autism,” Unumb said. “To help his situation, I wrote a law, called Ryan’s law, to require health insurance coverage for children with autism.”
“The law was passed in South Carolina and Autism Speaks brought me on board to help replicate that law in all fifty states,” Unumb continued. So, that’s what I do now in trying to pass that law.”
Unumb credits her work and the partnership with NASCAR as being able to open many more legislative doors.
“When you go into a state legislature for a new law, years ago you had to start with what is autism,” Unumb said. “These days, when I go into the state legislature, everyone knows what autism is.”
“That makes it easier to focus on what do we need to do to remedy this problem,” Unumb continued. “NASCAR has done so much autism awareness and that has been immensely helpful in my advocacy work.”
Unumb is also most appreciative of not only the exposure that her NASCAR award has brought but also for the financial impact it has had on her work.
“It’s hard to express the impact of the Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award on my life,” Unumb said. “My husband and I founded an autism academy which was the recipient of a $100,000 charitable donation from the NASCAR Foundation.”
“The financial impact alone has been incredible but more than that, I’ve had a continuing relationship with NASCAR,” Unumb continued. “The platform the sport has raised for autism awareness has been incredible.”
“I encourage others to apply for this award.”
But perhaps the best part of the partnership with Autism Speaks is the model program developed by Dover International Speedway at track that is now being used in many other sports venues. The Monster Mile has pioneered a quiet zone where children and young adults can come and enjoy the race without having sensory overload.
“The great thing for Ethan is that he will be in an environment where he will be able to handle all the stimulus at the track,” Kempner said. “A lot of kids with autism have issues with sensory situations so this is an environment that is created for them and their families.”
“This environment is so welcoming,” Kempner continued. “This really worked last year and we doubled the number of families that have participated.”
Lisa Goring, VP of Family Services for Autism Speaks, agreed that the special area developed by the speedway for the group makes all the difference as to whether or not kids and families can attend events like this.
“NASCAR and Dover are so welcoming to our families,” Goring said. “The sensory friendly room at the track made the race accessible to the whole family and to kids with autism.”
“It is a personal issue for me too as my youngest Andrew, who is 16 years old, has autism,” Goring continued. “NASCAR is a sport that is so inviting and inclusive of families.”
“So, to have that opportunity to enjoy the sport here at the Monster Mile with my family is really what it is all about.”
The initiative at the speedway has been so innovative and inclusive of those with autism that other sports have begun to replicate their efforts.
“This model of the quiet zones has worked well with other leagues,” Alec Elbert, Chief Strategy and Development Officer for Autism Speaks, said. “We used the model in major league baseball where we had a quiet area for Autism Speaks in each of the thirty parks and that is still ongoing.”
“It really helps to give the families a way to come out and see the event.”
“We have the opportunity to change the landscape for millions of families around the world,” Elbert continued. “This is an amazing program with the entire NASCAR community.”
“It’s a once in a lifetime partnership between Autism Speaks, Dover International Speedway and NASCAR,” Elbert said. “It’s unparalleled.”
“When they see the needs and then the pure joy of the kids who love NASCAR racing, everyone involved is so committed,” Elbert continued. “The looks on these kids’ faces are priceless.”
“NASCAR, the Monster Mile, and Autism Speaks working together is a real gift.”
Jeff Gordon and Chase Set Record in Drive to End Hunger
Not only did Jeff Gordon, behind the wheel of the No. 24 AARP Credit Cards from Chase Chevrolet, have a record-setting day at the Monster Mile with a third place finish, but he also set a record in his drive to end hunger.
Through his partnerships with Chase Card Services and AARP, Jeff Gordon and the myriad of volunteers who came out to help him packed a record-setting one thousand meal boxes for the Food Bank of Delaware. And they did it in record time, just over one hour.
“We’ve got a great partnership with Chase and Drive to End Hunger,” Gordon said. “They’ve really contributed support, awareness and funding for this program through Chase Credit Card Services and through their AARP Reward card.”
“This program is so rewarding to be able to get people volunteering and to pack food that gets delivered to older Americans that are in need,” Gordon continued. “Yes, it’s pretty cool and it’s a great program.”
Patricia Beebe, President and CEO of the Food Bank of Delaware, was also impressed with the record-setting meal packing event, especially with the numbers of those that will be helped.
“We packed one thousand boxes for seniors in less than an hour and fifteen minutes,” Beebe said. “We had super packers and great volunteers.”
“Last year we did four hundred boxes, so we upped it this year and went to a thousand,” Beebe continued. “These will be distributed to seniors in need throughout the State.”
Beebe also credited the driver of the No. 24 AARP Credit Cards from Chase Chevrolet as the reason for the record-setting event.
“Jeff Gordon, I can’t say enough about him,” Beebe said. “He is the nicest person.”
“He came to the Food Bank, helped pack meal boxes,” Beebe continued. “His celebrity status is a draw for the volunteers and we were so impressed with his humility and his ability to understand what this effort means.”
“When you have someone like that help what we are doing, his willingness to get involved directly increases our volunteering,” Beebe said. “We can’t say enough about him.”
“This is an incredible partnership.”
Scott Lammers, Vice President of Operations for Chase Card Services, was also overwhelmed by the record-setting effort of his team, the race fans and Jeff Gordon. He was also surprised by just how many fans turned out to be a part of the event.
“We had a little boy here at 5:30 am asking if he could pack meals with Jeff Gordon,” Lammers said. “Chase is so proud to partner with AARP and the Food Bank to make sure seniors get the food they need.”
Chase Card Services also launched a new effort that will have record-setting impact on the Drive to End Hunger. Their new Chase AARP credit card will also reward the card holders for their participation in the cause.
“We just launched a new card that is three percent back on restaurant and gas station purchases and one percent on everything else,” Sarah Lammers, Senior Marketing Manager for the AARP Visa Card, said. “We think it’s a perfect fit for the NASCAR population.”
The new AARP Credit Card from Chase also provides a ten percent discount when redeeming rewards for travel through Chase, extended warranty protections and dedicated, personalized customer service 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The other benefit of the new credit card promotion is that Chase will try to set a record with matching donations to the AARP Foundation up to one million dollars.
“We started partnering with Drive to End Hunger in 2011 and have donated $4 million to the cause, which is two million meals, which is very exciting,” Lammers said. “For this year for Drive to End Hunger, we are going to match up to a million dollars.”
“When you donate to the AARP Foundation, Chase will match up to $1,000 for each donation up to a million dollars in total.”
Even with all of the record-setting efforts, the driver of the No. 24 AARP Credit Cards from Chase Chevrolet put it all into perspective as he addressed the fan volunteers who had packed the meals in the fastest time ever.
“You have no idea how far that will go in helping to feed those who are having difficulty,” Gordon said. “This is the greatest program that I’ve ever been a part of in my NASCAR career where I get to talk about a great cause, bring more awareness to it, and get people involved in volunteering and funding.”
“And on race day, the fans get to come out and actually package meals that will get distributed to those who need it,” Gordon continued. “That’s pretty awesome.”
To sign up for the new Chase credit card, visit www.aarpcreditcard.com and to donate to the AARP Foundation, go to their website at www.aarp.org.
Canadian Motor Speedway gets the green light to begin construction
After an appeal made by the Preservation of Agricultural Lands Society, the appeal has been denied and plans to build a new speedway in Fort Erie, Ontario are to continue as planned.
“It’s been a long time and a long journey and we’re finally glad the decision has come forward,” Fort Erie Mayor Doug Martin told the Fort Erie Times. “Our next step is meeting with Azhar (Mohammad, executive director of the speedway) to get his team together and the documents together to move forward with the project and put shovels in the ground.”
The OMB decision stated the environmental group Preservation of Agricultural Lands Society (PALS) “has not made out a convincing and compelling case — or, indeed, any case — that (OMB vice-chair Susan de Avellar) Schiller violated the rules of natural justice and procedural fairness.”
PALS originally made their case in wanting to keep the land for agricultural use and not for a mega $400 million project.
The plans include a one mile oval that is being designed by Jeff Gordon and Paxton Waters. Waters designed Auto Club Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway just to name a few.
In speaking with Gordon’s father-in-law John Bickford earlier this year, he said that Gordon has wanted a race in Canada since going to Japan for an exhibition race in 1998. Gordon also questioned the trip to Mexico, continuing to ask for that race. When he learned that there was no facility available, that is when the project began.
“Jeff has always wanted to come to Canada,” Bickford said. “He and I were here in 1989/1990. We’ve always been big supporters. Canadian race fans have supported Jeff throughout his entire career. So I think the idea of giving back is an important component. We’re just advocates of giving back to the Canadian race fans and we’re not giving up.”
Canadian fans have proven their dedication in the past, with the attendance at events in the United States being made up of 10-20% Canadians.
A 821-acre property has been purchased just west of the Queen Elizabeth Way. The plan calls for a grandstand could seat up to 100,000 people, a one-mile oval track, 2.5-mile road course and other facilities. One of those facilities is a research and development centre overseen by McMaster University.
Once the track is built though, the plan is to get the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series to travel cross the border. Within a year of having it built, they want to get the Nationwide Series up here, and then catterpult that into getting the Cup stars on the one mile oval.
Smooth Sailing For Chevrolet While TRD & Ford Stumble
The 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup season is 13 races old and we now have a fairly clear picture as to which manufacturer has an edge on the competition. There is a great disparity between all three makes which isn’t surprising considering that this is a brand new car. Joe Gibbs Racing is by far the best team winning five races this year and dominating many more. TRD powered cars have won eight poles as well and were under the hood for all those JGR victories. They are fast but maybe a little too fast. They are pushing the limits of their engines which are failing more than any other manufacturer. They had at least three other races this year in the bag until engine issues killed their chances. There is an intense feeling of trepidation throughout the Toyota camp even if they don’t show it because they can’t afford to be giving valuable championship points away like this and they know it.
Part of the reason why Joe Gibbs switched to TRD in 2012 is because their own engines were having reliability problems and they hoped to bolster their program with the addition of TRD power. Well, they are right back to where they were except this time; they are relying on someone else to fix the issues. TRD is plenty capable of fixing this problem though and I believe they will but the clock is ticking and they don’t have very much time. A quick fix that will be implemented immediately is to scale back the horsepower on their cars in an effort to improve reliability. Its common sense really; be easier on the engine components and they are more likely to last the entire event. They won’t be dominating every single race now but a top 10 and a few wins is a lot better than a few wins and a couple 40th’s.
We don’t even know if this will eradicate the issue which has mostly been valve train related; considered the most fragile part of the engine to most. We saw Matt Kenseth not even make it 200 miles before he lost the engine at Dover and TRD’s thinking is that less strain on the parts will help them endure the entire race distance. Cup motors are built to last around 800 miles so for these engines to not even make it a quarter of the way to that amount is a little concerning. If they can get past these issues, then not much will be able to stop their powerful fleet of cars in 2013.
Ford hasn’t had very many engine problems this year, what they are lacking is raw speed. They would like to adjust the front aerodynamics of their cars but I doubt NASCAR will let that happen mid-season. I said it back in Daytona that I felt the 3D “grills” would be a disadvantage to the Ford team but they aren’t pin-pointing that as the main issue so don’t quote me on that. They have just two wins this year compared to Toyota’s five and Chevy’s six. Carl Edwards won Ford their first race in the Gen-6 back in Phoenix while the underdogs at Front-Row Motorsports put their Ford Fusion’s 1-2 at Talladega. The Ford’s seem to run so-so at the 1.5 mile and 2 mile tracks which they have historically dominated in the past.
They are fast at shorter, less aerodynamic dependent venues which is very uncharacteristic for that group. In the manufacturer standings, they trail Toyota by 20pts and Chevy by 28 which is a fairly large margin. Penske Racing and even Germain Racing have shown consistent speed in the cars although they’ve also had a few dismal results. Richard Petty Motorsports and Roush-Fenway are the ones that are really having a tough time. Carl may be 2nd in points but that team as a whole hasn’t taken charge at all this year and really haven’t shown much strength. They’ve just been there for the most part. RPM’s Aric Almirola was really good earlier in the year but now he is beginning to fall off as well. This certainly isn’t Ford’s season and as they struggle to find their footing, Toyota and Chevrolet continue to gap them more and more every weekend.
Now I would talk about Chevy’s issues if they really had any. They came out of the gate winning the Daytona 500 in a Hendrick Motorsports 1-2 and all their teams have been solid this year. Toyota seems to have a little more speed than them but like I said earlier, their reliability is awful. Hendrick Motorsports and ECR have built very durable engines that have only failed twice during the season thus far. Hendrick Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing and Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing have all been very strong. Drivers such as Paul Menard, Jamie McMurray and even Juan-Pablo Montoya who are usually around 15th-20th in points aren’t ruling out the possibility of a chase berth just yet. Stewart-Haas has struggled but that is of their own doing as they are finding it tough to adapt to the Gen-6. They either have ill-handling racecars or find themselves at the wrong place at the wrong time. That being said, Tony Stewart just won at Dover so it’s not all doom and gloom for that organization.
Chevrolet takes racing more seriously than most seeing that they put so much time and effort into their program. They were the last to unveil their Gen-6 car and were very secretive when testing last year. Chevy exemplifies what is reachable when you pour your heart and soul into something. The record holding 36-time NASCAR Sprint Cup manufacturer champions are looking to win their 11th straight in 2013 and it’s not just NASCAR where they rise above their competition. They are kicking Honda’s tail for the most part in Indycar, Corvette Racing is the most successful team in the history of Le Mans and Chevrolet Cruze has a stranglehold on World Touring Car. I’ll tell you what; I’d love to see General Motors try their hand at Formula 1 so we can see if they have what it takes against the likes of Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes.
The reason why Chevy always seems to be the ones to beat in any form of racing is because of the passion and time they put into all their programs around the world. Toyota is catching up in NASCAR though and I think they are going to have one heck of a battle in 2013. Toyota has never won a driver or manufacturer title in Cup and it would give much more credence to their title hopes should they resolve their engine woes. You can be assured that if they don’t win it all, the car standing in their way when it’s all said and done will most likely feature a gold bow tie on the grill.
