Mays Motorsports Teams up with MS Society to Bring Awareness to Rockingham
Monday, October 5, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society website, MS is "a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system, which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves."
MS is a disease that is difficult to research, as its symptoms and severity vary so greatly from one patient to another. It causes a wide array of debilitating health concerns. There is currently no cure.
The one constant is the fact that the MS Society works tirelessly to find a cure for this life-altering illness, and to treat those who are subjected to it.
Kirk and Laura May - who, together, form Mays Motorsports - recognize the dreaded consequences of MS and the need for a cure. They saw the upcoming Aaron's 150 USAR Pro Cup event at Rockingham (NC) Speedway as the perfect opportunity to help.
Mays Motorsports will team up with The National Multiple Sclerosis Society for the October 10, 2009 event, to further MS awareness and research. NMSS will be displayed as a sponsor of the Mays USAR Pro Cup entry, along with Elite Auto Collision of Athens, Georgia, and DuPont Performance Coatings.
Fans attending the Aaron's 150 will have resources available to offer help as well, while taking home some great merchandise and souvenirs. Those making donations to NMSS will be entered for prize drawings, and a silent auction will be featured. Among the prizes and items to be auctioned are a racing fire suit worn by Shane Hall, a new race helmet, jewelry, and more. Every penny raised will go directly to NMSS to assist in researching a cure for MS patients and improving their quality of life.
The deal to spread the word about MS awareness was struck by McCallister Precision Marketing. The team at MPM knows all too well the suffering caused by MS. Jane Council, who is a long-time friend and supporter of MPM, as well as her sister, Mary Ann Serridge, are both living with MS.
MPM develops close relationships with its clients, and Mays Motorsports is no different. Mays considers Council to be a part of their team, and they are especially excited to have the chance to help her and the 400,000 other Americans with MS.
"I felt like, unfortunately, a lot of times we don't get involved with these charities enough," said Kirk May. "Sometimes we don't even really know much about [charitable causes] until it hits one of our family members."
May is optimistic about the benefits of associating NMSS with stock car racing - especially with a series as successful as USAR Pro Cup.
"We just want to bring some awareness and get [the NMSS] name out there," he concluded.
Shane Hall has been named to drive the Mays entry, and echoes the sentiments of his team owner.
"I think anytime you can team with a charity; it's an honor to do that," commented Hall. "I hope that anything we do this weekend can help to bring MS into light. I hope that we can make a difference, and the racing is just a bonus."
Enthusiastic about his philanthropic effort, Hall looks forward to getting back behind the wheel of a Pro Cup car on Saturday.
"It is a wonderful race track...I always love racing there," said Hall of Rockingham Speedway.
Hall has plenty of experience at the wheel when it comes to "The Rock." He has started numerous races there in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
The South Carolina driver has been in the driver's seat for Mays Motorsports once before this season at Concord (NC) Speedway, also in a USAR Pro Cup event, in which the team finished seventh. While a top-ten result in the highly-competitive Pro Cup Series is quite an accomplishment, Hall hopes to improve on his run this time around.
"We want to go up there and be a little more competitive than we were at Concord," he said. "We never did really get up there in the top two or three fighting for the win, and that's what we're looking for."
Mays Motorsports Crew Chief Lee McCallister is not surprised that his team owners are involved in such a worthy cause.
"The fact that they are teaming up with [NMSS] to do this is not shocking to me," said McCallister. "That's just the kind of people that Kirk and Laura Mays are, and I am fortunate to be involved with them. Being able to raise awareness for any charity means a lot to me; especially when it helps individuals like Jane [Council] and others affected by MS."
Automotive Specialists will play a major role in the October 10 event, as they have in all past outings for the Mays team. Keith Dorton, who owns Automotive Specialists, builds the engines for the Mays team, and is an avid supporter of NMSS. He and his team have stepped up to the plate to co-sponsor the power plant for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society car.
Hall and Mays Motorsports both look to be more involved in the USAR Pro Cup Series in 2010, and hope to work with NMSS again in the future.
MS is a disease that is difficult to research, as its symptoms and severity vary so greatly from one patient to another. It causes a wide array of debilitating health concerns. There is currently no cure.
The one constant is the fact that the MS Society works tirelessly to find a cure for this life-altering illness, and to treat those who are subjected to it.
Kirk and Laura May - who, together, form Mays Motorsports - recognize the dreaded consequences of MS and the need for a cure. They saw the upcoming Aaron's 150 USAR Pro Cup event at Rockingham (NC) Speedway as the perfect opportunity to help.
Mays Motorsports will team up with The National Multiple Sclerosis Society for the October 10, 2009 event, to further MS awareness and research. NMSS will be displayed as a sponsor of the Mays USAR Pro Cup entry, along with Elite Auto Collision of Athens, Georgia, and DuPont Performance Coatings.
Fans attending the Aaron's 150 will have resources available to offer help as well, while taking home some great merchandise and souvenirs. Those making donations to NMSS will be entered for prize drawings, and a silent auction will be featured. Among the prizes and items to be auctioned are a racing fire suit worn by Shane Hall, a new race helmet, jewelry, and more. Every penny raised will go directly to NMSS to assist in researching a cure for MS patients and improving their quality of life.
The deal to spread the word about MS awareness was struck by McCallister Precision Marketing. The team at MPM knows all too well the suffering caused by MS. Jane Council, who is a long-time friend and supporter of MPM, as well as her sister, Mary Ann Serridge, are both living with MS.
MPM develops close relationships with its clients, and Mays Motorsports is no different. Mays considers Council to be a part of their team, and they are especially excited to have the chance to help her and the 400,000 other Americans with MS.
"I felt like, unfortunately, a lot of times we don't get involved with these charities enough," said Kirk May. "Sometimes we don't even really know much about [charitable causes] until it hits one of our family members."
May is optimistic about the benefits of associating NMSS with stock car racing - especially with a series as successful as USAR Pro Cup.
"We just want to bring some awareness and get [the NMSS] name out there," he concluded.
Shane Hall has been named to drive the Mays entry, and echoes the sentiments of his team owner.
"I think anytime you can team with a charity; it's an honor to do that," commented Hall. "I hope that anything we do this weekend can help to bring MS into light. I hope that we can make a difference, and the racing is just a bonus."
Enthusiastic about his philanthropic effort, Hall looks forward to getting back behind the wheel of a Pro Cup car on Saturday.
"It is a wonderful race track...I always love racing there," said Hall of Rockingham Speedway.
Hall has plenty of experience at the wheel when it comes to "The Rock." He has started numerous races there in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
The South Carolina driver has been in the driver's seat for Mays Motorsports once before this season at Concord (NC) Speedway, also in a USAR Pro Cup event, in which the team finished seventh. While a top-ten result in the highly-competitive Pro Cup Series is quite an accomplishment, Hall hopes to improve on his run this time around.
"We want to go up there and be a little more competitive than we were at Concord," he said. "We never did really get up there in the top two or three fighting for the win, and that's what we're looking for."
Mays Motorsports Crew Chief Lee McCallister is not surprised that his team owners are involved in such a worthy cause.
"The fact that they are teaming up with [NMSS] to do this is not shocking to me," said McCallister. "That's just the kind of people that Kirk and Laura Mays are, and I am fortunate to be involved with them. Being able to raise awareness for any charity means a lot to me; especially when it helps individuals like Jane [Council] and others affected by MS."
Automotive Specialists will play a major role in the October 10 event, as they have in all past outings for the Mays team. Keith Dorton, who owns Automotive Specialists, builds the engines for the Mays team, and is an avid supporter of NMSS. He and his team have stepped up to the plate to co-sponsor the power plant for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society car.
Hall and Mays Motorsports both look to be more involved in the USAR Pro Cup Series in 2010, and hope to work with NMSS again in the future.