International Speedway Corporation joins Drive to End Hunger

DARLINGTON, S.C. – Four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon, International Speedway Corporation’s Chief Executive Officer Lesa France Kennedy and Darlington Raceway President Chris Browning today announced that, on behalf of Drive to End Hunger, Americrown, ISC’s food and beverage concessions operator, will donate all extra food items from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races it services to the local food bank that serves the racetrack area.

Drive to End Hunger is AARP and AARP Foundation’s national effort to end hunger for older Americans. Donations are expected to include breads, produce and other food items and will be prepared for delivery by Americrown on Mondays following ISC’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.

“This commitment is a huge opportunity to help people who are struggling with hunger in the communities around the ISC tracks,” said Gordon, driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet. “Fifty-one million Americans struggle with hunger and six million of them are over 60. This is a problem that if we all work together, we can solve. We’re really thrilled that ISC has joined us in this important fight.”

“Providing food to those who need help is a cause that positively impacts each community in which we operate,” said France Kennedy. “We are privileged to collaborate with Jeff Gordon and AARP’s Drive to End Hunger effort.  Through our collective efforts, we can make a difference in the lives of many in need.” 

Today’s announcement follows ISC’s donations at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway of more than 7,000 pounds of excess food to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida following the 2011 Daytona 500; Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, which donated the extra food from its Aaron’s Dream Weekend to the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama; and Richmond (Va.) International Raceway Central which donated to the Central Virginia Food Bank.

“We are pleased that Darlington Raceway, through AARP’s Drive to End Hunger, can make a significant difference for people in our community,” Chris Browning said. “In South Carolina alone, more than 22 percent of people reported not having enough money to buy food in the last year. Almost 10 percent of seniors in South Carolina are at risk of hunger. Particularly in these economic times, we want to do everything we can to support the folks in communities around ISC tracks. They are important to us, they are important to the sport, and solving this problem should be important to everyone in America.”

Donations will be made at these ISC tracks for the remainder of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, including:

•Daytona International Speedway (Daytona Beach, Fla.) – July 2
•Homestead-Miami Speedway (Homestead, Fla.) – Nov. 20
•Kansas Speedway (Kansas City, Kan.) – June 5 and Oct. 9
•Martinsville Speedway (Ridgeway, Va.) – Oct. 30
•Michigan International Speedway (Brooklyn, Mich.) – June 19
•Phoenix International Raceway (Avondale, Ariz.) – Nov. 13
•Richmond International Raceway (Richmond, Va.) – Sept. 10
•Watkins Glen International (Watkins Glen, N.Y.) – Aug. 14

For more information or to get involved, visit www.drivetoendhunger.org.