This year’s Chevy Rock & Roll 400 marks the fifth year that one winning NASCAR driver will walk away with a four foot tall, fifty pound trophy custom designed and built by PRS Guitars from Stevensville, Maryland. In addition, this year six drivers will leave the track with their own PRS guitar that will help aid many more people down the road.
Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, and Clint Bowyer have each won a race in Richmond under the domain of Chevrolet. To honor their success and their efforts, PRS held a special press conference today at Richmond International Raceway, during which PRS President, Jack Higginbotham presented the aforementioned drivers with a PRS Corvette guitar for their individual charities.
Jack Higginbotham, President of Paul Reed Smith Guitars, said, “It is our hope that each of these guitars will develop its own story and have a positive effect on the lives of others. Whether it is cancer research, shelter for the needy or assistance for underprivileged children, each driver has a passion for their cause, and we are honored to help them in their mission.”
PRS’s extensive involvement in racing began with a sponsorship of the world dominating factory Corvette C6.r racing team in 2003. During the past six years, PRS’s involvement in racing has ranged from being a part of large-scale NASCAR events to its own grassroots “Laps for Life” charity event helping support the Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland.
To hear what the drivers said about these donations and to learn more about the drivers, their charities, and how they use these donated guitars, please follow the links below:
Jeff Gordon "The Jeff Gordon Foundation has partnered with PRS in the past, and we can't thank them enough for providing us another incredible guitar to auction off. Money raised will benefit pediatric cancer research and the Jeff Gordon Children’s Hospital.” http://www.jeffgordonfoundation.org/
Jimmie Johnson "This is a very unique opportunity for a fan. We just need to take the time and find out where we can best use it and really create a lot of excitement around it. I'm very thankful for Richmond International Raceway and the fact that they want to give us one of these cool guitars for our charity. It's a tough world out there right now and a lot of people are in need. So we'll save this for a special event and make sure we can raise a lot of money that can go back to people in need." http://www.jimmiejohnsonfoundation.org/
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Tony Stewart “The Tony Stewart foundation has given me a vehicle to help children, animals, and fellow drivers in need. I am honored that PRS has donated this guitar.” http://www.tonystewartfoundation.org/
Dale Earnhardt Jr. “I started the Dale Jr. Foundation to help those who haven’t had the opportunities and fortune that I have had in my life. This PRS guitar will certainly help me to do just that.” http://www.thedalejrfoundation.org/
Kevin Harvick “Thank you to PRS Guitars for donating this beautiful guitar. All proceeds will support the Victory Junction Gang Camp, a year-round free-of-charge camping environment for children ages 6-16 with chronic medical conditions or serious illness.” http://www.kevinharvickinc.com/index.php/company/charity/
Clint Bowyer “PRS was good enough to send the PRS guitar for my charity event last week. I am grateful it was able to be included in our auction. It definitely helped make the event a success.” http://www.clintbowyer.com/index.cfm
About PRS Guitars:
Paul Reed Smith Guitars is a leading manufacturer of high-quality instruments in Stevensville, Maryland and has been providing some of the world’s most renowned guitarists with instruments since 1985. More than 190 highly skilled craftspeople produce more than 70 guitars each day for worldwide distribution. PRS Acoustics and PRS Amps were introduced as new product lines in 2009 with support from renowned artists Ricky Skaggs and Derek Trucks. Carlos Santana, Linkin Park, Chris Henderson of 3 Doors Down and Mark Tremonti of Creed are also among the artists currently playing PRS guitars.
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