NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
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GURSS: Bristol and Charities
Though some are grousing that it lacked the slam-bam characteristics of the “old” Bristol, Saturday night’s Sprint Cup race was an entertaining race...
Jade Gurss  |  Posted August 24, 2009   Bristol, TN
Faster. Louder. The weekly column on SPEEDtv.com by Jade Gurss. (Harold Hinson Photo)

Though some are grousing that it lacked the slam-bam characteristics of the “old” Bristol, Saturday night’s Sprint Cup race was an entertaining race with the sport’s most despised driver battling side-by-side with the sentimental favorite for the victory in the final laps. What more could you expect or hope for? In addition to the racing, the pre-race ceremonies, including the tribute to Mark Martin, is another example of what’s right with the sport.

Overall, the new surface and the double-file restarts created a much more racy Bristol – with NASCAR loop data stats showing more than double the passes during the race compared to the last night race at Bristol with the “old” car. Overall, the event offered a great cross-section of personalities and stories, from Kyle Busch versus Mark Martin, to the surprising third-place finisher Marcos Ambrose. Ambrose continues to excel and surprise, as the likeable Kiwi seems to improve weekly.

No other sport in the nation is as directly linked with the armed forces as NASCAR. Yet another example was shown Saturday afternoon before the race as Jack Daniel’s joined the USO to sponsor an event to stuff 10,000 plastic bags of dearly needed supplies for American military personnel serving overseas. Casey Mears and Jeff Burton were among those who helped stuff the bags with a large variety of food, games and toiletries for the troops.

In the same vein, no other sport is as charitable. Between the drivers, team owners and sponsors, it seems there are an assortment of charitable events and tie-ins each race weekend. Hermie Sadler finished 17th in Wednesday night’s truck race with a special paint scheme to honor the Victory Junction Gang Camp as well as Hermie and Elliott Sadler’s Foundation for autism.

Jimmie Johnson made news off the race track Monday by announcing a donation of $150,000 to four Charlotte-area school districts. The donation is just one example of the funds provided by Johnson’s foundation to schools around the United States, totaling approximately $500,000. But, Johnson’s not the only NASCAR driver or owner who has provided an immense amount of much-needed financial support for charities, as many of the top drivers have their own charitable foundations designed to help those in need in many different categories.


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