CONCORD, N.C. – When Alex Bowman pilots his No. 88 Axalta/CARSTAR Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in August at Watkins Glen, he’ll do so wearing a very special helmet.
CARSTAR, which has supported the fight against cystic fibrosis for more than 20 years, worked with cystic fibrosis chapters across the U.S. and Canada to create a contest to design Bowman’s helmet for the race.
The “Accelerate the Cure” contest invites those with cystic fibrosis, their families and anyone affected by the disease to design a helmet that illustrates what a cure for cystic fibrosis would allow them to do.
One of the first entries submitted came from a producer at SiriusXM Radio, Donny DiMarco, and his wife. Their 6-month-old son, Trey, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis.
“It’s really neat, because it says the drawing should highlight what accelerating a cure for cystic fibrosis would mean to you,” Bowman said, admiring the submission. “A lot of them, they’re just kids, and they want to live a normal life. It just says ‘normal life’ in a trophy. It seems like that’s all he wants. That’s really special and hopefully we can do our part to try to make that happen.”
The contest runs through July 5, and the winning design will be selected by Hendrick Motorsports, Axalta, CARSTAR, Cystic Fibrosis Canada and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The winner will receive a VIP experience at the Watkins Glen race. Click here for more information.
“What CARSTAR is doing by building awareness in the need for a cystic fibrosis cure is amazing,” Bowman said. “I’m excited to see the winning design of the ‘Accelerate the Cure’ contest and will be honored to wear that helmet at Watkins Glen.”
After announcing the helmet program, Bowman and some of his teammates on the No. 88 pit crew washed some cars on the Hendrick Motorsports campus to help support the “Soaps It Up” fundraiser for cystic fibrosis research.
Check out a photo gallery of the event here.