No. 10 ChumpCar

“I’m certainly hoping that Jack Roush will be available to personally observe our team this weekend,” said competitor, Scott Taggart. “We intend to be on our best behavior—I just hope he doesn’t completely raid the Rust Riders Team talent pool,” he added. The Rust Riders are set to compete this weekend, along with regional favorites, the Blitzen Benz Gang from Landrum, South Carolina. The Blitzen Benz team took top honors just last month’s ChumpCar race at Rockingham Speedway.

This will be the ChumpCar World Series first ever trip to Charlotte Motor Speedway, once dubbed the “Beast of the Southeast”. That particular moniker may be stolen and repurposed to any number of competing teams after this race has concluded. Come rain or shine, the ChumpCar teams will take to the track bright and early on Saturday morning—8:00 a.m. to be exact. The event is slated to run for 14 straight hours in their typical enduro format, which is always a challenge for man and machine. There are obvious breaks in the action for refueling the cars and team drivers are allowed to compete for only two-hour stretches at a time before handing over the wheel to a teammate. Competitors will take to the track in turn one, making their way down the backstretch, through turns three and four and back onto the dogleg in the frontstretch. From there the cars will dive to the left, down toward the infield to the road course portion of the layout—a combination of road course and oval sections dubbed a “ROVAL”.

With this being an off-weekend for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, ChumpCar Officials expect some heavy involvement from the local Cup shops, some of whom put together race cars of their own and competed last month at Rockingham. Teams from Stewart-Hass Racing and Roush-Fenway have participated in the past. And while there is no official comment about any potential “mystery” drivers showing up, a race segment or two may well end up in the hands of a “Ringer” at some point during the day.

Because this is a 14-hour continuous event, there is plenty of time to take a drive out to Charlotte Motor Speedway and watch the action this Saturday. ChumpCar offers complete pit pass access for $15 per person if you are aged 16 and up. If you’re 15 and under, admission is free. A portion of the proceeds from this event will go towards supporting the ChumpCar World Series 2011 charity effort—the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

- Walker Marketing, Inc. Press Release

David Ragan - UPS Road Code Safe Driving Program

Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens, but UPS, along with the help of Ragan, are working with Chicago teens and Boys & Girls Clubs of America to help change that statistic.

“We really had a fun time today meeting with the kids here in Chicago,” said the driver of the No. 6 UPS Ford Fusion. “It’s nice to take some time away from the track and talk with kids about safe driving. Being on the road is something that needs to be taken seriously and it’s easy to get distracted when you’re in the car, but you need to be really stay focused when you’re behind the wheel of a vehicle.”

Ragan has become a spokesperson for the UPS Foundation’s Road Code program, which has partnered with the Boys and Girls Club this year to help promote safe driving to teens across the country.

The UPS Foundation, the charitable arm of UPS, recently launched a national program in collaboration with Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) to teach the company’s industry-leading safe driving techniques to teens. Based in large part on the same safety training used with UPS’s own drivers, the program – UPS Road Code – helps young drivers learn the code for safe driving.

Thanks to a three-year, $1.5 million grant from The UPS Foundation to BGCA, an estimated 1,200 teens across ten cities, including Chicago, will participate in the UPS Road Code program. Other stops on the tour include Atlanta; Los Angeles; Dallas; Omaha, Neb.; Little Rock, Ark.; Oakland, Calif.; New York; Washington, D.C.; and New Orleans. The program is expected to roll out to additional markets in 2010.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America
For more than 100 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (www.bgca.org) has helped kids “BE GREAT,” providing hope and opportunity for those who need it most. Today, more than 4,300 clubs serve some 4.5 million young people through club membership and community outreach. Known as The Positive Place for Kids, Boys & Girls Clubs can be found throughout the country and on U.S. military bases worldwide, providing young people 6 to 18 years old with guidance-oriented character development programs conducted by trained, professional staff. Clubs positively impact lives and help young people reach their full potential as productive, caring citizens. Key programs emphasize leadership development; education and career exploration; community service; technology training; financial literacy; health and life skills; the arts; sports, fitness and recreation; and family outreach. In a recent Harris Survey of club alumni, 57 percent said the club saved their lives. National headquarters are located in Atlanta, Ga.

About The UPS Foundation
Founded in 1951 and based in Atlanta, Ga., The UPS Foundation’s major areas of focus include community safety, nonprofit effectiveness, economic and global literacy, environmental sustainability, and diversity. The UPS Foundation pursues these initiatives by identifying specific projects where its support can help produce a measurable social impact. In 2008, The UPS Foundation directed more than $100 million in philanthropy to charitable organizations worldwide. Visit community.ups.com for more information about UPS’s community involvement.