October marks the start of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. NASCAR Cup Series driver Erik Jones was at the Charlotte Motor Speedway on Tuesday with breast cancer survivors, track officials, and members of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, raising awareness about the disease. Drivers like Daniel Hemric and John Hunter Nemechek attended the event as well.
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The participants painted the track’s pit wall pink, led by Jones. The activity served as the prelude to the Drive for the Cure 250 Xfinity Series race presented by Blue Cross NC that is to be held on October 12. That’s not all. The Cup Series race at the track that weekend will also play its part in raising awareness for the disease. All the Next Gen cars will have pink window nets.
The drivers will sign their respective window nets after the event which will then be auctioned off through the Erik Jones Foundation. The money raised will go towards helping those suffering from breast cancer and rehabilitating survivors. Jones told the media, “It’s pretty cool to be back out here, pretty cool to be taking over the Window Net program and hopefully they raise a lot of money for a great cause.”
“I love the cause and I love seeing everybody that turns out every year and then next weekend seeing the car on track and seeing the pit wall kind of makes it all come together.” Jones’ mother is a breast cancer survivor and he lost his father to cancer. The personal loss puts fighting for this cause close to his heart.
Fans and survivors hail Jones’ noble initiative
Fans on social media heaped praise on the Legacy Motor Club driver for his efforts. To have someone so deeply invested in raising awareness about breast cancer must be heartwarming, particularly for those who have fought hard and beaten the disease. One such survivor wrote to him on X, “From a stage 3 survivor THANK YOU. #WindowOfHope”.
From a stage 3 survivor THANK YOU. #WindowOfHope
— Chris Losurdo (@ChrisLTX) October 1, 2024
Other comments followed along the lines of, “Awesome!” and, “Good cause man.” The appreciation ought to be rewarding for Jones. The 28-year-old will surely receive a big cheer from the crowd before the Roval race thanks to the initiative. Fans are bound to rally behind him despite his position as a non-playoff driver.
“Can’t wait for the roval,” another fan quipped. One can only hope that Jones continues the good work that he has been doing off the track for many years to come. It has positively impacted several members of the community and that is perhaps a greater achievement than winning a race.
