Tue, 25 Nov 2008, 10:06 AM Racers Join Together To Raise More Than $50,000 For Young Life

Courtesy of John Miller

Only a few things can bring all sides of drag racing together to support a great cause. Rarely do bitter rivals on the track become team members, such as Dodge, Chevy, Pontiac drivers joining together or business competitors such as Jeg's Mail Order and Applied Racing Technology. But in 2008, these racers and businesses put that competitive nature toward a good cause as they combined efforts in the "Team on a Mission" program that is led by Mike Edwards, as a group has raised more than $50,000 that will be donated to the Young Life's "Sending A Kid To Camp."

"Right now, I could not be more proud of the racing family in what they have done for this program," said Edwards. "Each weekend, we battle so hard to make sure we get to the finish line first, but so many understand the bigger pictures and helping the kids is something so easy to get behind.

"My team races to help these kids and we know what we do every weekend is only a small contribution," he continued. "But with the racing community getting involved as they did in such a worthwhile endeavor, it will make a lasting impact on a larger group of kids in not only building a better tomorrow, but an even stronger connection to motorsports."

Edwards presented a check in the amount of $50,000, to Young Life President Denny Rydberg, prior to the start of the ACDelco NHRA Las Vegas Nationals in Las Vegas, Nev., the amount totaled for the first 22 events of the season.

"I'm so thankful for the effort the Mike and Lisa Edwards, his entire team, and all the other drivers and companies that have stepped up with this program," added Rydberg. "We have 50,000 kids each year who go to our camps all over the country and Canada and for many of them it is hard for them to get enough money to pay for the trip. So this gift is amazing as it allows 140 kids the chance to go be part of one our camps. Things like this are just a huge boost to what we are trying to do at Young Life and are really grateful for Mike and Lisa and everybody that helps. These kinds of things you cannot put a figure on how much it will mean to our future."

As part of "A Team on a Mission," an individual can make a single donation, a set amount per event, or for every round of competition that each individual driver wins during the NHRA POWERade schedule donate in the amount needed to send a kid to a Young Life camp, or match what Edwards accomplishes on the track.

In 2008, Edwards is joined by a group from the racing public who made a contribution to the "A Team on a Mission" program, which includes NHRA Pro Stock drivers Jeg Coughlin, V. Gaines, and Johnny Gray, as well as corporate support from Jeg's Mail Order, Applied Racing Technologies (A.R.T.), Burns Stainless, and Roger and Ann Stull.

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