Legacy Motor Club driver Erik Jones is days away from becoming a father. As he awaits the joyous day due to come in less than a week, he has been given further reason to celebrate with Comcast announcing him as their Community Champion for 2024. Here’s a gist of what the award is and why it has been given to the 28-year-old.
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The Comcast Community Champion of the Year award is given to recognize and celebrate individuals who’ve done the best philanthropic work across the NASCAR industry.
The finalists for 2024 were Jones, Scott Crowell, and Susan McKee. Crowell is a senior manager of facility operations at NASCAR production. McKee is a senior director of HR/IT at the Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Comcast entered NASCAR in 2015 as a title partner with its Xfinity brand. Now a premier partner of the Cup Series, it has donated over $1 million to 27 NGOs in a bid to further the impact that the finalists for the award created. Every year, the winner is chosen by a select panel of Comcast and NASCAR executives along with the previous year’s winner.
Part of the committee in 2024 was Ryan Vargas, the 2023 champion. It was announced on Thursday evening that the honor will go to Jones this time making him the tenth person to win the award.
Right off the bat, the conglomerate announced that it would be aiding the driver’s foundation with $60,000. But what is it that made Jones a tad bit more special than the others?
Why Jones won the Comcast Community Champion award
Jones is easily one of the most philanthropy-inclined drivers in NASCAR. He uses the Erik Jones Foundation to create awareness about cancer and help those affected by it. He started this charity after the cancer-related death of his father in 2016. His mother is a breast cancer survivor as well.
Matt Lederer, the vice president of brand partnerships at Comcast, reasons the choice of the panel, “Erik has consistently demonstrated his passion for meeting people where they are — offering support, resources, and hope. His dedication to early cancer detection, youth literacy, and animal welfare shows how one individual can create meaningful change.”
This is a proud moment not only for the Jones family but also for the entire NASCAR community. The company will be donating significant financial aid to the initiatives of the other finalists as well.
