One prominent NASCAR team’s drivers will be doing more than running laps around the New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon July 17 as part of the New England 300; they’ll be helping to promote the August 17 LAPS Walk, an inaugural event at Michigan International Speedway (MIS) that will help NASCAR legend Ernie Irvan and the Brain Injury Association of Michigan combat the silent national epidemic of traumatic brain injury. Team MB2 Motorsports (with affiliate teams MBV and MBSutton) has agreed to carry the LAPS Walk logo underneath the “B” Pillar of each of the cars (driver side panel) during NASCAR races leading up to and including the GFS Marketplace 400 at MIS on August 21, 2005.
Teammates Joe Nemechek, who drives #01, a Chevrolet (sponsored by U.S. Army) and Scott Riggs, driving #10, also a Chevrolet (sponsored by Valvoline) feature the logo on their cars since the race at New Hampshire. The third team member, Boris Said, driving #36, again a Chevrolet (sponsored by CENTRIX Financial), will join Nemechek and Riggs in featuring the LAPS Walk logo when he joins the field in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. All three will be drawing attention to the LAPS (Leadership and Promotion of Safety) event, to be held the Wednesday of GFS 400 race week at MIS.
Aside from Ernie Irvan’s history with the team, there’s yet another link to the issue of brain injury awareness — former #01 driver Jerry Nadeau was sidelined with a brain injury accident in 2003; Joe Nemechek is his replacement. Ernie Irvan’s involvement in the cause was sparked by his own experience, when he crashed at MIS (in 1994). Initially not expected to recover from his injuries, he not only did so, but went on to race again [an won 3 more races]. A second injury at MIS (five years to the day of the first accident) prompted his retirement. “I’m personally very grateful to MB2 Motorsports for taking this leadership position with us in bringing positive attention to the LAPS Walk and our Race2Safety Foundation,” said Irvan. “The funds we will be able to raise, including those going to support the valuable work of the Brain Injury Association of Michigan, will go a long way toward reducing the incidence and severity of brain injury.”
The LAPS Walk is a joint effort between Ernie Irvan’s Race2Safety Foundation and the Brain Injury Association of Michigan that will become an annual event to raise awareness for traumatic brain injury. For a minimum $100 registration fee, participants can walk the racetrack with Ernie and other current and former NASCAR drivers by registering online at www.lapswalk.org or by calling 1-888-LAP-4-R2S (7-28-2005).
