A Great Race for a Great Cause

Few sporting events elicit the sheer excitement of the Indianapolis 500. Held annually on Memorial Day Weekend since 1911 (except during both World Wars), this race’s time-honored tradition has become an American institution over the past century.

As generations come together to celebrate and share in this sporting legacy, new chapters in racing history are written together, year after year, at the hallowed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Even in the racing world, torches get passed-on from mentors to pupils, and from fathers to sons, as is the case with Bobby Rahal of Rahal Letterman Lanigan (RLL) Racing and their featured driver, Graham Rahal.

An Indy 500 champion in 1986, Bobby (along with David Letterman and Mike Lanigan), now heads the racing team that features his son. Just 25 years-old, Graham Rahal is already an accomplished driver in his own right and a legitimate contender for the season’s most coveted race, the Indy 500. Having been raised in a racing family, driving and competing are in his DNA, while his interest in philanthropy was likewise nurtured by the strong influences that have shaped Graham’s life.

Having raced under the tutelage of the late actor, racing team owner and accomplished humanitarian, Paul Newman, Graham Rahal learned the importance of using his influence to support charities, especially those focused on children. In fact, the Graham Rahal Foundation’s two primary beneficiaries are Alex’s Lemonade Stand, which raises money for childhood cancer research and awareness, and Serious Fun Children’s Network, founded by Paul Newman, which provides children coping with serious illnesses and their families the opportunity to attend camp, free of charge.

Using his fame and popularity to raise money for these worthy causes has become an important focus in Graham Rahal’s life and career. This year, in an effort to raise viral internet awareness and create a competitive fundraising format for his foundation, Rahal, his foundation and RLL Racing have joined forces with Batteries Plus Bulbs and Deltran Battery Tender to initiate and promote the Race 2 Give 2014 campaign, where entrants will compete for a number of great prizes, including two tickets to this year’s Indy 500! Quite simply, whoever refers the most donations to the Graham Rahal Foundation, by getting friends to donate to the cause (primarily through social media channels), will win two complimentary suite passes to this year’s race.

“A Great Race for a Great Cause” is the mantra of this campaign, and it is geared at giving racing enthusiasts a chance to win great prizes while raising money for extremely worthy charities. With this year’s race just around the corner, here’s yet another reason to get excited about this landmark sporting event and participate in its annual celebration.

For more information on Graham Rahal, his foundation and the #Race2Give fundraising challenge, please visit http://www.race2give2014.com/.