Going pink: Charlotte partners with BCBSNC for NNS race
One of the leading forces in raising awareness for breast cancer, Charlotte Motor Speedway announced Wednesday afternoon it has partnered with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina to sponsor the upcoming NASCAR Nationwide Series race on Oct. 10.
The race has been named the Drive for the Cure 300 presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.
"When you have people around you that are diagnosed with breast cancer, people that are survivors, people that didn't survive, it just hits home in a way that's significant," said Marcus Smith, president and general manager of Charlotte Motor Speedway. "When our team was in a brainstorming session a few years ago and we said, 'Hey, let's paint the walls pink to really take a big step up during Breast Cancer Awareness month.' I loved it and I think it's gotten better every year. We try to do things bigger and better, and try to top ourselves from year to year.
"It's fantastic to have a partner like Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina to come alongside us and really want to wrap their arms around this cause to let everybody know about the cause and at the same time celebrate the survivors and encourage those that are going through the tough times right now," he said.
"With a long history of service in communities across our state, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina shares North Carolinians' love of racing and their passion for getting healthy and staying healthy," said Reagan Greene Pruitt, director of brand marketing and management for BCBSNC. "With one in eight women diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in life, we will all know someone affected by it â but when detected early, survival rates exceed 95 percent. Our partnership with Charlotte Motor Speedway to raise awareness of breast cancer prevention, detection and treatment is an important part of our commitment to improving the health and well-being of our customers and the communities where we live."
Aside from the pink walls on pit road and the name of the race being changed, Smith said there will be a host of activities in the fan zone outside the speedway during race weekend geared toward raising awareness for breast cancer, early detection and help for survivors.
"We'll be talking about prevention in the fan zone," he said. "That's really the best place for us to interact with fans, that's what we've designed that for. Throughout the weekend there will be lots of pink to remind folks that this is Breast Cancer Awareness month. The really cool thing is that a lot of the cars and teams that race on the track next week will have some kind of pink theme to their paint schemes that add a lot of fanfare and awareness around the event."
As part of Wednesday's announcement, breast cancer survivors, families and supporters helped paint the pit wall pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month. Chase contender Joey Logano and FOX Sports analyst Kenny Wallace were both on hand to help with the day's activities.
This is the second year the speedway has painted the pit wall pink, and third year the start-finish line has gone pink to help raise awareness.
