Toyota Racing announced that the car design called ‘Lou Gehrig aka ALS’Â is the grand prize winner in the Sponsafier 2 contest. The design, created by Jeff Hallowell of Maize, Kan., beat out more than 52,000 entries. A #18 Toyota Camry wrapped in the ‘Lou Gehrig aka ALS’Â artwork was featured in the parade lap before the Nationwide Series race at Phoenix International Raceway. The second round of Toyotas ‘Sponsafy Your Ride Contest’Â — Sponsafier 2 — continued the quest to take one fans NASCAR Sprint Cup Camry masterpiece from online design to real sheet metal. Fans were invited to flaunt their artistic ingenuity at toyotaracing.com using pre-loaded graphics, paint brushes and even their own personal photos. They were then encouraged to share their work on social networking sites to rally votes from friends, family and admirers of their design. The submission period ran from June 20 through Aug. 20, followed by two rounds of vigorous voting to finally crown a grand prize winner. ‘For me, this is all about ALS awareness and creating family memories for my son Ethan,’Â said Hallowell, who designed the winning car with his eight-year-old son. ‘This is truly a dream come true.’Â Together, Hallowell and his son created a dynamic masterpiece featuring American flags, baseballs and racing flames, along with messaging to support the fight against ALS. Hallowell was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) — commonly known as Lou Gehrigs Disease — in Aug. 2002.
For his efforts, Hallowell received a prize package for the weekends race festivities in Phoenix, including airfare, hotel accommodations, tickets to race weekend events, a meet and greet with Toyota driver Kyle Busch, exclusive Toyota Racing apparel and spending cash. In addition to the grand prize package, Toyota has donated a 2011 Sienna mobility van to the Hallowell family to help with transportation needs. More than 600,000 votes were cast during Sponsafier 2. A total of 10 finalists chosen by popular vote qualified to compete for the grand prize. A panel of judges selected the grand prize winner, along with two runners-up — ‘CureHD’Â and ‘Buckle Up for Hannah’Â. ‘CureHD’Â was designed by Jason Mundy on behalf of his brother Daniel to support Huntingtons Disease research and awareness. ‘Buckle Up for Hannah’Â was designed by Robert and Sharon Clark in memory of their goddaughter Hannah, who lost her life in a car accident four-and-a-half years ago. Designing the car enabled Hannahs family to keep her legacy alive and promote seatbelt safety.
In addition to the national Sponsafier contest, Toyota Racing held a team and driver challenge to encourage members of the Toyota racing community to take part in the fun. ‘Beaumobile,’Â created by Greg Wallace of Rusty Wallace Racing to promote pet adoption, earned the most votes and was awarded a first-place trophy. Toyota will also donate $2,500 in his name to the charity of his choice. To view the winning design ‘Lou Gehrig aka ALS,’Â Racing Team Challenge entries and all of the Sponsafier vehicle submissions, visit sponsafier.com.(Toyota PR)(11-14-2010)
