Story By: KENDALL LAMBERT / NASCAR – DAYTONA BEACH, FL – The second annual NASCAR Day Giveathon proved to be another success, so much so that the fundraising efforts have been extended until Sunday, May 19 at 10 p.m. ET, after the North Wilkesboro All-Star Race.
This morning in a surprise announcement, Gainbridge®, a Group 1001 company, donated a matching gift of $77,000, resulting in the extension of the Giveathon to reach a new fundraising goal of $770,000 for qualifying charities.
The Giveathon, which ran for 37 hours on May 14 and 15, raised $482,864 from 2,822 donors from all 50 states, impacting nonprofits representing a wide variety of causes and initiatives in our racing communities and across the country.
The new fundraising goal was selected in conjunction with Gainbridge®, an official sponsor of Spire Motorsports’ Nos. 7 and 77 Chevrolets driven by Corey LaJoie and Carson Hocevar, as part of their Drive to $770,000 campaign. The campaign was designed to help the Giveathon reach $770,000 in donations by Sunday evening and support the many participating charities.
“This year’s NASCAR Day Giveathon showcased the power of our sport to help those who need it most,” said Nichole Krieger, Vice President and Executive Director of The NASCAR Foundation. “Sponsors like Gainbridge® have embraced the Giveathon and are going above-and-beyond in innovative ways to take our efforts to the next level. We are so grateful.”
The announcement comes just days before Gainbridge® will run NASCAR Day Giveathon paint schemes at North Wilkesboro Speedway® on the No. 2 Gainbridge® Chevrolet Silverado of Rev Racing driver Nick Sanchez in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and Hocevar’s No. 77 Gainbridge Chevrolet Camaro during the All-Star Race.
Sanchez’s truck will feature donor names from the first 24 hours of the NASCAR Day Giveathon and Hocevar’s car will feature a listing of the participating Giveathon nonprofit organizations.
Additionally, although he’s not currently locked into the All-Star Race, Carson Hocevar could earn his spot in the field by winning the fan vote or racing his way in through the NASCAR All-Star Open. If he then goes on to win Sunday’s All-Star Race, Gainbridge® announced they will make another donation to the Giveathon’s efforts, this time contributing $770,000.
“Giving back to charity is a central part of our mission at Gainbridge® and that’s why we really wanted to rev this up a notch,” said Group 1001 Chief of Sponsorship and Activation, Mike Nichols. “We’re proud to team up with Spire Motorsports, Rev Racing and The NASCAR Foundation to drive towards $770,000 for the deserving charities. In addition, NASCAR® fans can rally behind Carson on Sunday because if he wins, all the charities win! We’ll make an additional $770,000 donation to the charities if Carson captures his first career NASCAR Cup Series win. Regardless, it feels like all the charities will be in Victory Lane after the race.”
NASCAR® fans can help complete the Drive to $770,000 by donating online at www.NASCARDayGiveathon.org from now until May 19 at 10 p.m. ET. Additional contributions from the Drive to $770,000 match will be shared with all qualified nonprofit organizations participating in the Giveathon.