The NASCAR Foundation Blood and Marrow Drive Asks Fans to Roll up Their Sleeves

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Sept. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- NASCAR fans can save lives by rolling up their sleeves this September 11th. The NASCAR Foundation, Jimmie Johnson Foundation, Hendrick Marrow Program and the Nationwide Foundation together are urging fans across the country to make a difference in thousands of lives. Local fans can participate in The NASCAR Foundation Third Annual Blood and Marrow Drive Presented by Nationwide Insurance, which will hold events at 28 participating NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and local NASCAR Home Track venues across the nation.

Racetracks from 24 states will participate in the annual event providing an opportunity for fans to donate blood and volunteer their names for the National Marrow Donor Program(R) Registry. The following racetracks will participate in events in September (All events will occur on September 11, 2008 unless otherwise noted): Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Daytona International Speedway, Dover International Speedway (Sept 21), Elko Speedway, Gateway International Raceway (Sept 6), Homestead-Miami Speedway, Infineon Raceway, Iowa Speedway, Kansas Speedway (Sept 9), Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Lowe's Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway, Memphis MotorsportsPark, Michigan International Speedway, The Milwaukee Mile, New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Dec 2), Phoenix International Raceway, Pocono Raceway (Sept 12-13), Talladega Superspeedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Watkins Glen International. Events have already taken place at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Richmond International Raceway and Rockford Speedway as part of the effort.

As part of this day of giving back, many tracks are planning fan events to go along with the drive. At Daytona International Speedway, there will be live music, a Richard Petty Driving Experience, food and drinks and a t-shirt giveaway. InAtlanta, donors are eligible for a free pace car ride around the track and will be entered into a drawing for tickets to the Pep Boys Auto 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race in October. At Michigan International Speedway, which has been running a blood drive since 2002, there will be ceremonies remembering those who died on September 11, 2001.

With the addition of NASCAR Official Partner Nationwide Insurance, the company will hold drives at two of their corporate offices inColumbus, Ohio andDes Moines, Iowa. To find out more information on participating tracks and dates and times of events, please go to WWW.NASCAR.COM/foundation .

The largest effort of its kind within the motorsports industry, The NASCAR Foundation Blood & Marrow Drive has collected enough pints of blood to potentially save more than 17,000 lives since its launch in 2006. More than 1,500 members were added to the National Marrow Donor Program(R) Registry giving hope to the 6,000 patients searching the Registry every day.

"It has been incredible to watch the drive grow over the past two years," said Jimmie Johnson, two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion and co-founder of the Jimmie Johnson Foundation. "Each year, we have been able to add more tracks to the program. This will be our biggest drive yet. It is amazing how everyone is able to come together on one day to make such a huge impact."

Those unable to make one of the many events can still make a difference by going to WWW.NASCAR.COM/foundation to find out how to give blood and join the NMDP Registry via an online do-it-yourself kit. Kits will be available to interested donors from September 7-22, 2008 free of charge.

About The NASCAR Foundation

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc., (NASCAR) launched The NASCAR Foundation in January 2006. The Foundation is a 501(c) (3) non-profit entity that embodies the compassion of the NASCAR Family and its commitment to serving communities. The Foundation supports a wide range of charitable initiatives that reflect the core values of the entire NASCAR Family. The NASCAR Foundation will use strength of the sport and its people to make a difference in the lives of those who need it most. For more information on The NASCAR Foundation, please visit the website: www.nascar.com/foundation .

About Nationwide Insurance/ Nationwide Foundation

The Nationwide Foundation is an independent corporation funded by contributions from Nationwide companies. Founded in 1959, the Nationwide Foundation has committed more than $190 million since 2000 to help nonprofit organizations in communities where Nationwide associates and their families live and work.

Nationwide, based inColumbus, Ohio, is one of the largest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the world, with more than $161 billion in assets. Nationwide ranks #108 on the Fortune 500 list. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com .

About Jimmie Johnson Foundation

Chandra and Jimmie Johnson launched the Jimmie Johnson Foundation in February 2006. Johnson, the two-time reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, drives the No. 48 Lowe's Impala SS in NASCAR's top series. The mission of the foundation is to assist children, families, and communities in need throughout the United States. The foundation has committed more than $1.7 million to various charities. For additional information on the Jimmie Johnson Foundation, please visit www.jimmiejohnsonfoundation.org .

About Hendrick Marrow Program

Rick Hendrick established the Hendrick Marrow Program as a fund of The Marrow Foundation in 1997 following his diagnosis with leukemia. Although Hendrick never required a marrow transplant, he is committed to supporting the thousands of Americans who search the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry every day in hope of finding a lifesaving marrow donor. The Hendrick Marrow Program's goals are to raise funds to support donor recruitment drives across the country and to assist patients with uninsured transplant-related expenses.

SOURCE NASCAR

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