SONOMA, Calif. - Race fans and community members helped to save more than 260 lives during the 8th annual NASCAR Foundation Blood and Marrow Drive at Infineon Raceway on Thursday, Sept. 11.
More than 100 people visited Infineon Raceway for the event, which generated 88 pints of blood for area blood banks. Each pint can be used to save as many as three lives. In addition, 23 people signed up for the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP). Infineon Raceway has generated nearly 600 pints of blood for the American Red Cross with annual blood drives since 2001, and signed up more than 50 people for the NMDP since 2007.
The raceway partnered with the NASCAR Foundation, the American Red Cross, Blood Bank of the Redwoods and the NMDP for this event, which encourages race fans to not only donate blood, but also register for the NMDP Registry. The event was also part of the nationwide 3rd annual NASCAR Foundation Blood & Marrow Drive, with drives scheduled at 30 tracks all around the country.
The drive helps serve a desperate need for blood and marrow donations - the Red Cross currently has less than a one-day supply of both O-negative and O-positive blood and less than a two-day supply of all other types, in addition more than 6,000 people are searching for a marrow match on any given day.
As a reward for their participation, donors who came out to the raceway could enter to win a meet-and-greet with NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson. Entry forms will be collected at NASCAR Foundation Blood & Marrow Drives around the country, and the winner will be selected in early December. Moreover, every donor received a "hot lap" around the world-famous 12-turn road course with a professional instructor from the Jim Russell Racing Drivers School.
"This is such a fun event," said Santa Rosa's David Calvi. "I've come out to this drive for the last few years, and I look forward to it every year."
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