On Wednesday, the biggest stars in the NASCAR industry came together for the 42nd annual Speedway Children’s Charities Gala presented by Sonic Automotive, EchoPark Automotive and Sonic Powersports. The fundraising event, which attracted nearly 400 attendees, raised more than $1 million through table sponsorships, live and silent auctions and individual donations.
Held at the Ritz-Carlton in uptown Charlotte, the black-tie dinner and auction was hosted by NASCAR on FOX broadcast duo of Clint Bowyer and Adam Alexander, and attended by a who’s who of Charlotte sports personalities from Ray Evernham and Chad Knaus to Greg Biffle, Regan Smith, Kevin Harvick and Carolina Panthers great Jonathan Stewart.
Head of Charlotte-based Moffett Restaurant Group and founding chef of four restaurants—Barrington’s, Good Food on Montford, Stagioni, and NC•RED – renowned chef Bruce Moffett treated guests to a lavish meal to get the evening started, then donated four in-home cooking sessions garnering $120,000 for Speedway Children’s Charities.
In addition to raising more than $1 million, which will be donated to Charlotte-area nonprofits focused on supporting children on issues ranging from human trafficking to homeless, the gala honored 2014 NASCAR Cup Series champion and FOX Sports analyst Kevin Harvick for contributions not only to NASCAR, but the wider community, through his Kevin Harvick Foundation. Established in 2010, the foundation aims to help underprivileged youth find and realize their dreams by supporting programs that positively enrich the lives of children throughout the United States.
The Charlotte chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities is one of 11 located at Speedway Motorsports facilities across the country. Since inception in 1982, SCC has awarded in excess of $68 million to nonprofit organizations throughout the nation, including more than $17 million in the greater-Charlotte area.
For more information on Speedway Children’s Charities or to see how to volunteer or make a donation, visit www.speedwaycharities.org.
— Charlotte Motor Speedway —