Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver Corey LaJoie is making some noise on social media for what he won’t be making in the near future — his salary.
The pilot of the No. 32 Go Fas Racing Ford Mustang has opted to waive getting paid for a full month in order to put a charitable cause he believes in on the car for this weekend’s events at Watkins Glen International. LaJoie and his wife Kelly have teamed up with Samaritan’s Feet, an organization founded in 2003 to provide shoes to children and individuals in need to inspire hope and encouragement.
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More than 1.5 billion people, or 24% of the world’s population, are infected with soil-transmitted helminth infections worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. People without shoes face dangers such as laceration, fungus, and insect bites that can lead to infection, disease, and even death.
Since its founding in 2003, Samaritan’s Feet and its partners have distributed over 7 million pairs of shoes in 108 countries and more than 389 U.S. cities.
“There is absolutely no better fit being that my longtime racing nickname is ‘SuperShoe.’ Now being a ‘SuperShoe’ is being a part of something bigger than myself to bring the gift of a new pair of shoes,” LaJoie said in a news release. “I can’t wait to get kick off the alliance with Samaritan’s Feet this week by having them on the race car as well as being a Hope Giver for their campaign from August to November. I genuinely care enough about their mission to feel called to personally commit financially to give Samaritan’s Feet the platform they deserve.”
LaJoie hopes to spread the mission and raise awareness of this enormous undertaking throughout the weekend at The Glen, the second of three road courses on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule. To help spread the message, any donor of any amount will have their name personally written on the car by LaJoie.
https://twitter.com/CoreyLaJoie/status/1156580113397551104
The gesture has caught the attention of some big names around the sport, as well.
https://twitter.com/DaleJr/status/1156924925489373190
https://twitter.com/DeLanaHarvick/status/1156984774906433536
https://twitter.com/BubbaWallace/status/1156954336762703872
https://twitter.com/DanielHemric/status/1156555212594827266
The organization also took a trip to the Go Fas shop for a tour with LaJoie.
https://twitter.com/Samaritans_Feet/status/1156939366423498753
It’s a good thing NASCAR drivers have a lot of Sharpie experience from signing so many autographs — LaJoie has a lot of writing to do, but he’s making progress.
https://twitter.com/CoreyLaJoie/status/1156643495156826112