Catchfence

CONCORD, N.C. (May 14, 2010) – NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver and 2010 Speedway Children’s Charities Spokesman Carl Edwards has announced that if he is victorious in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on May 22 at Charlotte Motor Speedway he will donate his portion of the $1 million prize earned by the race winner to the non-profit organization that cares for children in educational, financial, social and medical need.

“If we win the All-Star race it’s a million bucks! Whatever my portion of the winnings is I will donate it to Speedway Children’s Charities in the name of General Sadler,” said Edwards.

Retired Air Force General Tom Sadler is the executive director of Speedway Children’s Charities.

“I’ve seen how the Speedway Children’s Charities works,” Edwards continued, “and it’s an efficient way to help kids all around the world with the things they need, basic things like health care and education.”

Edwards however is not currently eligible to participate in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. To get in the race, a driver or his car owner must have won a points-paying Cup race in 2009 or 2010, have won a championship in the past 10 years, or have won a NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race in the past 10 years.

Edwards has three more chances to make the field for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. He can earn a spot two ways: by winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race Sunday in Dover, Del., or he can be one of the top two finishers in the NASCAR Sprint Showdown race, held just prior to the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The third option for Edwards is to be voted in to the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race with the Sprint Fan Vote, a competition driven by fans that awards one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team a position in the race.

“It’s obviously very important to have fans vote me into the race, because I can’t donate if I’m not in the race,” said Edwards. “I’d like to earn my way in, but the fan vote would mean the world. Hopefully the donation would be a good way to pay the fans back for putting me in the race.”

“We deeply appreciate Carl’s generosity,” said Amanda Hollingsworth, director, Speedway Children’s Charities Charlotte Chapter. “While we hope that he and his team can race their way into the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, we also encourage his fans and supporters of Speedway Children’s Charities to vote for Carl with the Sprint Fan Vote.”

Fans can cast a Sprint Fan Vote at www.nascar.com/promos/allstar/2010/vote/. Voting ends one hour before the start of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.

About Speedway Children’s Charities

The mission of Speedway Children’s Charities remains true to the ideals it was founded upon in 1982: To care for children in educational, financial, social and medical need in order to help them lead productive lives. SCC provides funding for hundreds of non-profit organizations throughout the nation that meet the direct needs of children. Our vision is that every child has the same opportunities no matter what obstacle they are facing.

- Charlotte Motor Speedway, Press Release