Toyota Racing awarded the grand prize to “Chelsea’s Hope” in the third round of its popular Sponsafier contest where fans could design and enter their own NASCAR Sprint Cup car at www.ToyotaRacing.com from Feb. 14 to March 20, 2011. The design, created by Tim Blankenship of Berkley Springs, W.Va., triumphed over more than 45,000 entries. A #11 Toyota Camry featuring the “Chelsea’s Hope” artwork was unveiled Friday in the Toyota PitPass area at Charlotte Motor Speedway and will be on display for the remainder of the All-Star Race weekend. Sponsafier 3 was introduced with the 60 second “Bromance” TV commercial featuring Kyle Busch during this year’s Daytona 500 broadcast. Two additional TV commercials included Toyota drivers Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin, with appearances by Joe Gibbs, Darrell Waltrip and Martin Truex Jr. After more than 220,000 votes were cast to narrow the field down to the top-10 finalists, a panel of Toyota executives and NASCAR personalities selected “Chelsea’s Hope” as the grand prize winner. The car design is named for the Chelsea’s Hope Organization which serves to raise awareness, promote education and provide emotional support for individuals and families affected by Lafora Disease. Lafora Disease is an inherited myoclonus epilepsy syndrome typically caused by mutations in one of two known genes: EMP2A and EMP2B. This rare disease affects children and young adults and is characterized by seizures, difficulty walking, cognitive decline and dementia. Currently there is no effective treatment, as therapyÂincluding antiepilectic drugsÂis supportive but symptomatic. Blakenship created the “Chelsea’s Hope” paint scheme to generate national awareness in honor of Jessica Ambroe, from Pittsburgh, Pa., who was diagnosed with Lafora Disease in Feb. 2009 at the age of 15. There are only 200 known cases of Lafora Disease in the world, 20 of which have been diagnosed in the United States, and research has yet to yield a cure. As the grand prize winner, Blankenship’s paint scheme was brought to life and will be showcased both at Toyota PitPass and on SPEED during the All-Star Weekend. He will also receive a prize pack of Toyota Racing gear and enjoy time with Denny Hamlin, his favorite Toyota NASCAR driver.(Toyota Racing), see images of the car on my Toyota News and Links page.(5-24-2011)
