teams4taps Helps young Boy Meet NASCAR Star

For TAPS survivors, our lives changed in the blink of an eye. But not everything that happens in a blur is bad--especially not when the roar of the engines circles at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In October, executives at Charlotte Motor Speedwaycreated an extraordinary opportunity for a TAPS family at the Bank of America 500 race. This was a VIP experience, they rolled out the red carpet for teams4taps with private tours at Hendrick motorsports, VIP seating at the race and an opportunity to meet Jeff Gordon and other drivers. All of this happened because one survivor told teams4taps their story.

The efforts of Tim Hagler and his team did more than give our TAPS families a sporting experience. NASCAR connected a special son with his dad’s hero. Our young survivor used to cheer for Jeff Gordon with his father before he deployed. When his father died in Okinawa, he didn’t know if he would ever watch a race again or meet any drivers, luckily his Grandpa keep this tradition alive. After his mother reached out to us, we were thrilled and grateful to be able to bring a son and a hero together with one of America’s favorite sporting events. teams4taps is excited about future opportunities with our friends in NASCAR.

If you want to get involved in teams4taps, share your story about you or your hero's favorite team, or athlete and email teams4taps@taps.org.