By Cole Cusumano, Staff Writer
AVONDALE, Ariz. – The NASCAR Championship Ignition Luncheon made its annual return to Arizona, where Phoenix Raceway’s track president Latasha Causey chose to change up the festivities and highlight a new charitable cause, while showcasing various stories surrounding the sport to sponsors and supporters with the help from some special guests.
In the previous two years, the event was hosted at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix with proceeds benefiting Phoenix Children’s Hospital. This time around, Causey boldly relocated the luncheon to the home of NASCAR Championship Weekend and sought to raise awareness for the Fighter Country Foundation, which supports the well-being of men, women and families serving the United States at Luke Air Force Base with programs designed to aid and educate.
With Luke Air Force Base essentially being in Phoenix Raceway’s backyard just 15 miles away – on top of NASCAR’s finale falling on Veterans Day weekend – Causey saw this as an opportunity to support the community, while parlaying a synergy with the track’s biggest event of the year.
“We’re still supporters of Phoenix Children’s Hospital, but at the same time, we really wanted the opportunity to spend this time to focus on those who serve,” Casuey said. “Our (championship race) is over Veterans Day weekend. It also happens to be on the Marine Corps birthday on Championship Sunday. We really wanted to be able to highlight and showcase those who are currently serving and that’s why we partnered with Fighter Country Foundation.”
Serving as the Guest of Honor for the ceremonies was reigning NASCAR Cup Series Champion Ryan Blaney, who came to discuss his title defense fresh off a resilient podium finish in the playoff opener at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He was joined by up-and-coming talents Rajah Caruth, Regina Sirvent and Nathan Lyons, as they talked about their journeys through the Drive for Diversity program, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
Blaney was eager to make it back to the site of his first championship, but even more so after learning about Fighter Country Foundation, understanding the magnitude of supporting a certain cause with running his Family Foundation.
“I appreciated when Phoenix (Raceway) asked me to come do this,” Blaney said. “I definitely wanted to be here and promote the championship race here in a couple months. Learning more about the Fighter Country Foundation, it’s a great cause. Having a foundation myself, I know how difficult it is. Where do you want to focus your efforts and how do you get people driven to this cause that you want to support? So it really piqued my interest even more to come here when I found what they’re doing.
“It’s weird coming to racetracks when you’re not racing at them,” Blaney added. “When we go to these places, I’m in race mode. Being here, it does motivate me now. I want to be back here. Try to do it again and answer the same (title defense) questions next year.”
Hosting the event at Phoenix Raceway presented Causey with an opportunity to showcase the state-of-the-art facility that underwent a $178 million renovation to donors and sponsors who’ve never been to the track ahead of its fifth championship weekend. The only caveat is there was an element of uncertainty as to how many guests would make the trip, seeing as the venue is 30 miles away from the Biltmore.
With over 500 attendees, this wound up being the largest luncheon gathering in the event’s history and Phoenix Raceway was able to cut costs keeping it in-house, allowing for an astonishing $100,000 donation to Fighter Country Foundation.
Making full use of the amenities on hand, the NASCAR Racing Experience offered rides around the one-mile track to guests who were high-level sponsors prior to the ceremony, which was held inside The Barn.
“We really wanted the opportunity to show off the track and that we do much more than NASCAR race weekends,” Causey said. “We really wanted to be able to show off our venue and get it ready, and be prepared for championship weekend. There’s no better way to do that than inviting friends into the track for a good cause, right?”
During the ceremony, Causey broke the news that the Cup Series championship race on November 10 would mark Phoenix Raceway’s seventh consecutive sell-out, with only limited tickets available for infield and hillside seating. However, grandstand access is still available for the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series finales November 8-9.
Leading up to NASCAR Championship Weekend, Causey and Phoenix Raceway will host a variety of events across Arizona to raise awareness for the sport’s finale and support the community. This includes NASCAR Night at Chase Field on September 24, Track Laps for Charity on October 12 and a Beyond the Finish Line field trip on October 19 in partnership with the Larry Fitzgerald Foundation.