Jeff Gordon is the recipient of the National Motorsports Press Association Speedway Motorsports Spirit Award for 2011 for his work with children’s health issues.
Gordon was among four quarterly winners for the award and chosen by NMPA members as the overall winner for the year.
The NMPA Spirit Award is designed to recognize character and achievement in the face of adversity, sportsmanship and contributions to motorsports.
Gordon has always taken an interest in children’s health issues through his Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation Pediatric Cancer Treatment Research, but those efforts expanded in 2011.
Gordon brought a hands-on approach to his work with children this summer.
Working with the Clinton Global Initiative, Gordon traveled to a refugee camp in the Congo in July in an effort aid with health issues. He witnessed first-hand what children in the area face and offered his personal assistance to the program.
Other quarterly winners in 2011 were:
JTG Daugherty Racing was honored in the first quarter. Driver Bobby Labonte and his team embraced a 6-year-old girl seeking a bone marrow donor and others needing a similar transplant. The team visited her in the hospital and put her photo and the”www.getswabbed.org” site on the car for the Budweiser Shootout in an effort to raise awareness for both her fight and the need for donors overall.
Jamie McMurray was recognized in the second quarter. Personally impacted by the tornados that devastated his hometown of Joplin, Mo., McMurray got involved with raising awareness and funds through promotion of Convoy of Hope, then visited the area and met with residents in an effort to raise spirits as well.
Greg Biffle was the fourth-quarter recipient. Biffle teamed with several partners to provide Charlotte-area children the opportunity to receive free dental care during the October race weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Give Kids A Smile program was aimed at helping more than 200 young fans.
NMPA
