Racing For Breast Cancer Awareness
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Dale [email protected]
Purple. Black. Blue. Red.
So when he recently put pink vinyl on the Warsaw-based NASCAR Nationwide Series team's car it didn't seem out of the ordinary to Barnes.[[In-content Ad]]That is until he made sure the hood decal was straight.
"The whole time I was doing the car in pink I was just going about my business," said Barnes. "It was just another color. We've done purple cars, black cars, blue cars, we've used red. But when I stepped back to make sure the hood decal was straight, that's when it hit it me."
In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the No. 70 car that 24-year-old Shelby Howard will drive in the Dollar General 300 next Friday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway will have pink stripes on it - stripes that in the team's normal scheme are red and gold.
On the deck lid is a logo for the K21 Foundation's Cancer Care Fund.
On the hood are 52 names of local women who have survived or lost their battle with breast cancer.
Other sports leagues have done things to recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month, most recently the National Football League, which last week saw players wearing pink gloves, wristbands, hand towels and cleats.
ML Motorsports has always prided itself on being local and being involved in the community.
The majority of its employees are from the Warsaw area. It's shop sits just off U.S. 30, just outside of Warsaw.
Howard was born and raised in Indiana and still resides in Greenwood.
When the team decided to run a pink scheme for breast cancer awarness, it was a no-brainer to give it a local twist.
"When we talked about doing a car for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we could have partnered with a national organization," said ML Motorsports' Jennifer Weaver. "Dane and Mary Louise (Miller) are very involved in the community, and we thought doing it this way and recognizing locals who have had the disease was the right thing to do. We really liked the idea of keeping it local and recognizing what the K21 Foundation's Cancer Care Fund does."
According to its website, The Kosciusko County Cancer Care Fund, administered by the K21 Foundation, provides assistance to financially-eligible residents of Kosciusko County who are suffering from cancer. The purpose of the fund is to relieve some of the financial strain that often accompanies that dreaded disease.
Barnes' wife, Ginger, helped provide the names that appear on the hood, of which her's is one.
"We need to keep bringing awareness to breast cancer," said ML Motorsports' Billy Hutchinson, whose mother passed away from the disease in May. "We're a hometown team and everything we try to do, we try to involve Warsaw and Winona Lake and the state of Indiana. We have the opportunity to do something like this at a national level, millions of people will be able to see this car on TV, but still recognize people from our community."
ML Motorsports has also worked closely with Combined Community Services, Cardinal Center Inc., Vera Bradley Foundation and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Wednesday night, the team held an open house, and a number of women came to see the car and to talk to each other.
"Everybody knows what Dane and Mary Louise have done for the community, they're like role models, and we're trying to continue that."
The Dollar General 300 will air live on ESPN2 on Oct. 15.
For more information about ML Motorsports, visit their website www.mlracing.com or visit them on facebook at www.facebook.com/mlmotorsports
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Purple. Black. Blue. Red.
So when he recently put pink vinyl on the Warsaw-based NASCAR Nationwide Series team's car it didn't seem out of the ordinary to Barnes.[[In-content Ad]]That is until he made sure the hood decal was straight.
"The whole time I was doing the car in pink I was just going about my business," said Barnes. "It was just another color. We've done purple cars, black cars, blue cars, we've used red. But when I stepped back to make sure the hood decal was straight, that's when it hit it me."
In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the No. 70 car that 24-year-old Shelby Howard will drive in the Dollar General 300 next Friday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway will have pink stripes on it - stripes that in the team's normal scheme are red and gold.
On the deck lid is a logo for the K21 Foundation's Cancer Care Fund.
On the hood are 52 names of local women who have survived or lost their battle with breast cancer.
Other sports leagues have done things to recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month, most recently the National Football League, which last week saw players wearing pink gloves, wristbands, hand towels and cleats.
ML Motorsports has always prided itself on being local and being involved in the community.
The majority of its employees are from the Warsaw area. It's shop sits just off U.S. 30, just outside of Warsaw.
Howard was born and raised in Indiana and still resides in Greenwood.
When the team decided to run a pink scheme for breast cancer awarness, it was a no-brainer to give it a local twist.
"When we talked about doing a car for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we could have partnered with a national organization," said ML Motorsports' Jennifer Weaver. "Dane and Mary Louise (Miller) are very involved in the community, and we thought doing it this way and recognizing locals who have had the disease was the right thing to do. We really liked the idea of keeping it local and recognizing what the K21 Foundation's Cancer Care Fund does."
According to its website, The Kosciusko County Cancer Care Fund, administered by the K21 Foundation, provides assistance to financially-eligible residents of Kosciusko County who are suffering from cancer. The purpose of the fund is to relieve some of the financial strain that often accompanies that dreaded disease.
Barnes' wife, Ginger, helped provide the names that appear on the hood, of which her's is one.
"We need to keep bringing awareness to breast cancer," said ML Motorsports' Billy Hutchinson, whose mother passed away from the disease in May. "We're a hometown team and everything we try to do, we try to involve Warsaw and Winona Lake and the state of Indiana. We have the opportunity to do something like this at a national level, millions of people will be able to see this car on TV, but still recognize people from our community."
ML Motorsports has also worked closely with Combined Community Services, Cardinal Center Inc., Vera Bradley Foundation and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Wednesday night, the team held an open house, and a number of women came to see the car and to talk to each other.
"Everybody knows what Dane and Mary Louise have done for the community, they're like role models, and we're trying to continue that."
The Dollar General 300 will air live on ESPN2 on Oct. 15.
For more information about ML Motorsports, visit their website www.mlracing.com or visit them on facebook at www.facebook.com/mlmotorsports
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