With dozens of breast cancer survivors donning pink shirts and wide smiles by his side, NASCAR driver Kurt Busch joined officials from Charlotte Motor Speedway and Blue Cross NC in painting Charlotte Motor Speedway’s pit wall pink on Tuesday. This marked the 10th year of collaboration on the event, which kicks off National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and serves as a prelude to the Oct. 8 running of the Drive for the Cure 250 presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.
The annual tradition was created to celebrate survivors, provide hope for those battling breast cancer and paint the 1,500-foot pink pit road wall, as well as to raise awareness of the importance of early detection.
“Efforts like today’s Paint the Wall Pink and next week’s Drive for the Cure 250 are a reminder that our patients and survivors are not alone in the fight against breast cancer,” said Cheryl Parquet, director, community engagement and marketing activation for Blue Cross NC. “Working with partners like Charlotte Motor Speedway and NASCAR, we’ll continue to increase breast cancer awareness and early detection to keep all North Carolinians healthy.”
Charlotte Motor Speedway Executive Vice President and General Manager Greg Walter and Performance Racing Network’s Lenny Batycki joined the survivors, drivers and volunteers in using 1of paint courtesy of Sherwin Williams.
“Today is special because it is about so much more than racing,” said Walter. “Of course we want all of our fans to come out to the Drive for the Cure 250 and make lifelong memories. But more than that, we want this race to celebrate the lives of every single person who has fought breast cancer. We want those currently fighting to know that they have allies in their corner. And we want to carry the flag of education and early detection so those fans can continue to join us for spectacular events here at America’s Home for Racing for many years to come.”
The event also featured a special unveil of two Toyota pace car designs – created by artists and breast cancer survivors Jenean LaCorte and Nikki Thompson – for the Drive for the Cure 250 race on Oct. 8. Fans can visit dftc250pacecar.com to vote for their favorite design. The winning livery to be displayed on the car during pace laps before the Drive for the Cure 250.
Additionally, Busch shared details on his “Window for Hope” campaign, through which Thermal Control Products will provide each participating NASCAR Cup Series driver with a pink window net to display at the Bank of America ROVAL™ 400. Following the race, each participating driver will sign their window net, which will be auctioned through The NASCAR Foundation, with proceeds benefiting Atrium Health Foundation’s Levine Cancer Institute Project PINK. Project PINK was established to increase access to life-saving mammography screenings for uninsured women in the local area. Proceeds from Window of Hope will help fund “Free Mammography Days” in underserved communities where the need is highest.
“We started this program with the hopes to continue it for years to come, so I’m incredibly grateful the industry jumped on board to support us in bringing back the Window of Hope for the second year,” said Busch. “Last year was such a success in raising over $100,000 and I’m looking forward to seeing how much we can raise this year to support the Charlotte community through the Levine Cancer Institute Project PINK. We couldn’t do it without the support of NASCAR fans, drivers, teams and Thermal Control Products.”
The auction for the signed pink window nets will open October 10th and close October 17th. For more information and a complete list of participating drivers, please visit. www.NASCARfoundation.org/pinknets.
TICKETS:
To purchase Drive for the Cure 250 and Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 race tickets, fans can shop online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or call 1-800-455-FANS (3267). Kids 12 and under get in all weekend for just $10. Tickets also include access to any of three nights of A-list music acts, including concerts by Poison frontman Bret Michaels on Friday, Oct. 7; rock band 3 Doors Down on Saturday, Oct. 8; and an infield pre-race concert with rap superstar Nelly prior to Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL™ 400.
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