NASCAR brought a championship pedigree to the Arizona Biltmore on Wednesday to help promote the start of the playoffs and raise money for a great cause.
Jeff Gordon, Chase Elliott and Dale Jarrett, along with Phoenix Raceway, helped kick off Childhood Cancer Awareness Month by teaming up with Phoenix Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders to shed light on diseases that affect over 15,000 children in the U.S. every year.
Gordon, the four-time Cup Series champion, was one of two guests of honor for the inaugural Championship Ignition Luncheon. The Hall of Famer and Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman, Gordon has a deep affinity in raising awareness for childhood pediatric cancer treatment dating back to the late 1990’s.
His passion derives from a relationship he had with his crew chief of 10 years, Ray Evernham, whose son was diagnosed with leukemia in 1992. Experiencing the tribulations of dealing with this illness through a close friend struck a chord with the 51-year-old champion and prompted him to start the Jeff Gordon Foundation, which highlights childhood pediatric cancer.
Source: Jeff Gordon, NASCAR team up with Phoenix Children’s to support pediatric cancer treatment