NASCAR, Waltrip honor Sandy Hook at Daytona 500

 
No Author Published: February 14, 2013    Comment on this article Leave a comment

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Michael Waltrip is driving the Daytona 500 for Sandy Hook.

Waltrip has switched his car number to 26 for the Daytona 500 in support of the Sandy Hook Special Support Fund. The two-time Daytona 500 winner was set to drive the No. 30 Toyota for Swan Racing in a one-race deal, but the number is being changed to honor the victims. Sandy Hook is the school in Newtown, Conn., where 20 first-graders and six adults were killed by a gunman on Dec. 14.

photo - FILE - In this Jan. 11, 2013, file photo, a pack of cars drives past the start/finish line moments before a wreck on the backstretch during NASCAR auto race testing at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. There's a buzz about NASCAR and the season-opening Daytona 500 that has nothing to do with an exploding jet dryer or a well-timed tweet. NASCAR's new Gen-6 race car makes its long-awaited debut and the success of the 2013 season could depend heavily on its performance. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)
FILE - In this Jan. 11, 2013, file photo, a pack of cars drives past the start/finish line moments before a wreck on the backstretch during NASCAR auto race testing at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. There's a buzz about NASCAR and the season-opening Daytona 500 that has nothing to do with an exploding jet dryer or a well-timed tweet. NASCAR's new Gen-6 race car makes its long-awaited debut and the success of the 2013 season could depend heavily on its performance. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

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The No. 26 car was unveiled at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday and had a black and green ribbon on the hood. Waltrip also owns Michael Waltrip Racing and all three entries will run with the "text NEWTOWN to 80888" decal for the Daytona 500 on Feb. 24.

"We're putting our whole heart around this race and this cause," Waltrip said.

NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France, Waltrip and others in the sport visited Newtown last week and met with town officials, community leaders, first responders and victims' families. The visit was kept quiet until the announcement at Daytona.

"We hope it's something that gives Newtown, and the citizens there and families, something to cheer for and root for, something to break up the sadness," NASCAR president Mike Helton said.

Waltrip said he was proud to raise money for the fund, and was touched to meet families who told him how much the dedication meant to them. Waltrip won the 2001 and 2003 Daytona 500s.

The Sandy Hook support fund, established jointly by United Way of Western Connecticut and Newtown Savings Bank, raises funds to help with the immediate financial and mental health needs for people impacted by shooting. The fund was designed to meet the needs of the Newtown community.

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