Eighth-annual celebrity Late Model race took place on April 23rd at South Boston Speedway to benefit the Denny Hamlin Foundation
2016 Showdown event moves to Langley Speedway (Hampton, Va.)
RICHMOND, VA (September 10, 2015) – With today’s $50,000 check presentation by Mary Lou Hamlin to Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU (CHoR), the Denny Hamlin Foundation reached $200,000 in donations to fight cystic fibrosis through proceeds from the annual Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown. The eighth installment of the late model race was held last April at South Boston (Va.) Speedway. The donations help fund the Denny Hamlin Cystic Fibrosis Research Lab at CHoR and support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation-accredited Therapeutics Development Center at VCU.
Former South Boston track champion and current NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Timothy Peters won the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown on April 23, beating a celebrity line-up that included Hamlin, NASCAR drivers Chase Elliott and David Ragan, plus Virginia natives Jeb Burton, Gray Gaulding, Hermie Sadler and Peters.
“The Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown continues to be a big success in raising awareness and funding to support Cystic Fibrosis research,” said Hamlin. “South Boston has been a perfect venue for us the last couple of years by providing great track and fan support.”
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a fatal genetic disease that affects about 30,000 children and adults in the United States. CF causes chronic infections in the lungs and inadequate digestion of nutrients. There is no cure for CF, but medical advances have doubled the life expectancy of children in the last 30 years and increased the overall median age of survival to 40.
CHoR has a large research staff focused on finding a cure for CF and in developing new therapies for CF. As the only CF Foundation-accredited center in the greater Richmond area, CF patients cared for at CHoR have access to the latest therapies and can participate in groundbreaking clinical studies.
“Thanks to the generosity of the Denny Hamlin Foundation, we have been able to accelerate the discovery of new therapies for cystic fibrosis,” said Bruce Rubin, M.D., professor and chair of the VCU Department of Pediatrics and physician-in-chief of CHoR. “We have been able to enhance research collaboration to increase our understanding of the nature of CF lung disease, and we are excited that a new medication discovered at VCU, is now undergoing testing. Just as important, the Denny Hamlin Foundation funds are supporting a scientist in training to become a CF research scientist. It is through the generosity of the Denny Hamlin Foundation and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation that we hope that “CF” will come to mean “Cure Found.”
The Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown began in 2008 at Southside Speedway, a local short track near Hamlin’s hometown of Chesterfield, Va., outside of Richmond, before moving to Richmond International Raceway in 2011 to pair up as a doubleheader with the NASCAR K&N Series. For its seventh year in 2014, the race moved just over 100 miles southeast to South Boston Speedway, another Virginia short track with a long history in stock car racing. For 2016, the event will move to Langley Speedway in Hampton, Va. as the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown continues its tour of local Virginia-based speedways.
The success of this event was also made possible by the support of sponsors FedEx, Sun Trust, Toyota, Joe Gibbs Racing, Sprint, Danville Toyota, Sport Clips, Denny’s Restaurants, NAPA Auto Parts, Stock Car Steel, Mattioli Foundation, Racing for a Reason, and the NASCAR Foundation.
The Short Track Showdown is one of two major fundraising events hosted by the Denny Hamlin Foundation this year. The other is Denny & Mark’s ProAm Jam concert and golf event, held Oct. 19-20 at Daniel Island Club in Charleston, SC to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation-accredited Center at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) among other beneficiaries.
ABOUT DENNY HAMLIN FOUNDATION
The Denny Hamlin Foundation (DHF) is committed to raising awareness and funds for the specific needs of children with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). As such, DHF partners with organizations that focus on CF research, treatment advances, and overall quality of life care. The Foundation will also support children with other chronic diseases. To carry out its mission, DHF conducts fundraising events, accepts contributions, grants, and gifts of money and property; and will invest the same and/or distribute to other exempt organizations as described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Visit dennyhamlinfoundation.org.
ABOUT CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OF RICHMOND AT VCU
Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU (CHoR) is Central Virginia’s only comprehensive, full-service hospital dedicated to the care of children. CHoR is ranked among the nation’s top children’s hospitals by U.S. News and World Report and is Virginia’s only Level 1 pediatric trauma center verified by the American College of Surgeons. With more than 15 locations across Central Virginia, CHoR provides pediatric inpatient and outpatient services that cover nearly all children’s health-related needs. As part of VCU Health, CHoR is committed to ensuring access to care for all children, training future pediatric caregivers and making new discoveries that improve understanding and treatment of childhood diseases. For more, see chrichmond.org.
