CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The good vibes were easy to feel as one pink shirt after another crowded around the Charlotte Motor Speedway Victory Lane and pit road, where NASCAR stars mingled with breast cancer survivors and their families.
Six-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson joined United States soccer legend Mia Hamm greeting people and ultimately delivering encouraging words to the crowd of nearly 500 gathered to kick off October’s Breast Cancer Awareness campaign.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina — for whom Johnson and Hamm are “ambassadors” — along with the track brought everyone together to paint the speedway’s pit wall pink in a visible reminder of this disease that has affected so many people on some level.
“The NASCAR industry has always been so supportive of these kind of causes and teams have adopted the pink color for October for years,” the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet driver Johnson explained between posing for photos, painting the pit wall pink and delivering an inspiring message to those attending. “We have pink trim on our hats and it’s been on race cars. The support has been there. It’s important to be a part of this and raise awareness.
“The great thing is if you detect it early there really is something you can do about it. And this event also raises awareness for kids so they grow up knowing it’s a priority. As a father (of two young girls), that’s definitely something on my radar.”
Drivers Elliott Sadler, Blake Koch and Jeb Burton were also among the sport’s stars there generously offering a friendly smile or gentle hug to survivors and greeting others who came to show support for family members and friends. These drivers are all too familiar with the devastating effects of this disease because their mothers have fought through diagnosis and treatment.
Being trackside with so many people who care was a transformative event for so many patients, who for at least one morning could take a deep breath and replace their pain and worry with the feeling of gratitude and hope.
And that is the whole reason behind this. Drivers who spend their weekends so tense and focused were at the track last Wednesday able to show how much they genuinely care, just in taking the time to be there, posing for a photo or sharing a paintbrush dripping pink.
“This is very personal to me and my family,” said XFINITY Series Chase participant Sadler. “To see what our NASCAR community does for breast cancer awareness, for all the pink race cars, the uniforms, the pink trophies, the pink pace car and Charlotte Motor Speedway taking it a step further today. Look at all the breast cancer survivors we have here today. To paint the wall means so much to people affected by it.
“This is by far my mom’s favorite race of the year, by far all because we get to run a pink car. I have an amazing sponsor, OneMain Financial, that lets me run a pink car for this race giving up their colors. What I’ve learned from my mom and other breast cancer survivors, this is their race. They’ve been through so much, this is a celebration of life, a time to forget about the bad and cherish the good. And that is a neat concept and a neat way to look at it.”
Driver Jeb Burton‘s mother Tabitha is another breast cancer patient. She and I were diagnosed at similar times and have been supportive of one another while going through painful treatment and navigating the reality of this disease.
“She went through a lot and it’s definitely hit home for us,” said Burton who will drive the No. 98 Biagi-DenBeste Ford in Friday’s XFINITY Series race at Charlotte. “This is a great cause and I’m thankful to be out here and paint the wall pink. Hopefully we can find a cure soon.”
That is certainly the hope behind the easy smiles and loving hugs we all shared that day.
RELATED: Battling cancer, NASCAR.com writer finds strength in numbers
In the year since I finished my own harsh chemotherapy and radiation, I have lost a half dozen “chemo” friends to this disease. Some I was still too sick to attend their funerals.
The NASCAR community suffered incredibly sad losses to cancer in the last year including 10-year old Elijah Aschbrenner to Epithelioid Sarcoma cancer last November and Scott Zipadelli’s 19-year old step-daughter Torie Costa to the disease (Rhabdomyosarcoma) last Christmas Day. Steve Byrnes, a popular broadcaster and my friend, passed away from cancer in April 2015; and another friend, longtime NASCAR journalist Bob Margolis, lost his three-time cancer battle just weeks ago.
Sherry Pollex, the longtime girlfriend of Sprint Cup Series points leader Martin Truex Jr., has battled ovarian cancer for the past two years.
Today, one of my dear friends is having breast cancer surgery. The follow-up and treatment of the disease afterward remains unknown at this point. Her children attend middle school with my daughter. And she was one of the people who immediately and lovingly cared for me and for my children when I was too sick to function during my own chemo. She brought dinner and comfort to us even when I was too sick to answer the door.
And now her diagnosis feels like a punch in the gut, such a cruel twist.
It’s my turn to be her source of strength and optimism. So many people cared when I was at my sickest. And now it’s an opportunity for me to be there for them.
I am aware like I’ve never been before. This disease has a way of humbling you and simultaneously motivating you to be a better person. It opens your mind to think more broadly, to act more swiftly. To realize you can care more.
When I left Charlotte last week after the event at the track I was full of gratitude, it was as if I had received a present for my soul. And judging by the smiles, hugs, even tears shared among the group, it was widespread feeling and greatly appreciated.
“These amazing women, their stories and their fight, honoring them and their families and obviously the women that have passed, too,” Hamm said of her time at the speedway. “It’s important to continue telling their story of hope and determination and really empowering these women that are here to be proactive in their health. That’s one of the reasons I feel so strongly to be a Blue Cross Blue Shield ambassador. It’s really about empowering them to take care of themselves.”
“This is one of the wonderful things that all the hard work I did in my career was able to do — to inspire people. And in the end you pass it off to this incredible (NASCAR) race that millions of people will be watching to help spread the message of continued work and awareness for breast cancer.”
By the end of the morning, it was truly, truly difficult to tell who was being motivated and who was doing the motivating.
And what an incredibly positive feeling to carry on.
