BROWNSBURG, Ind. (Aug. 25, 2014) – Antron Brown and Don Schumacher Racing’s Matco Tools Top Fuel team will again race for a cause more important than NHRA Wally trophies this October, helping raise awareness and funds for Susan G. Komen ® during national breast cancer awareness month.
Building on the momentum of the Matco Tools “Tools for the Cause” program that has raised more than $425,000 for Komen, funding breast cancer research and lifesaving community programs, Matco will launch the “I Drive For” and #IDriveFor social media campaign through Sept. 15.
Brown’s Matco Tools dragster will again feature a special pink paint scheme during NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series events at Reading, Pa., and Las Vegas events in October but with a unique twist. Those that have fought or are fighting breast cancer can share their stories on Matco Tools’ Facebook (facebook.com/MatcoTools) and Twitter (twitter.com/MatcoTools) pages and add the name of a loved one to ride along on Brown’s 320-mph dragster.
Brown will drive for his mother-in-law, Linda Matranga, a breast cancer survivor, as “I Drive For… Linda” will adorn his firesuit and side of his race car. Matco will accept name submissions through Sept. 15.
“October is a very important month to our series because it’s right in the middle of our Countdown (to the Championship) playoff, but October means even more to our Matco Tools team here at DSR,” Brown said. “My wife’s mother is a breast cancer survivor and this disease has affected our family as it has many others.
“I’m excited for the ‘I Drive For’ campaign to drive for Linda, and to drive for all those touched by this disease. I hope we receive thousands of names that will ride on our pink Matco Tools dragster and we can continue to drive awareness for such a great cause.”
The Matco Tools for the Cause program is focused on raising money to aid in the fight against breast cancer. When Matco customers purchase limited edition pink tools, Matco donates 15 percent of the sale to Komen with a guaranteed minimum donation of $100,000.
“This is a partnership that everyone in our company is very proud of and has strongly supported from the very beginning,” Matco Tools president Tim Gilmore said. “We have worked with Komen for nearly two years and being able to contribute to an organization that supports such a great cause means a lot to our distributors, employees and our customers.”
Brown and the Matco Tools Top Fuel team first adorned the pink Komen colors during October 2012 when he set the NHRA elapsed time national record at 3.701-seconds at Maple Grove Raceway at Reading. The record lap helped vault Brown to the 2012 NHRA Top Fuel World championship.
Last October, Brown put his Matco “Tools for the Cause” dragster in the winner’s circle at the fall race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.