Hallowell was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) -- commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease -- in August 2002. ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. It attacks these cells and causes progressive muscle weakness and deterioration, resulting in paralysis. Since shortly after his diagnosis, The ALS Association’s Keith Worthington Chapter has provided support and services to Hallowell and his family.
The ALS Association’s social media sites supported the entry created by Hallowell and his son by asking followers to vote for the car design. The winning design was a dynamic masterpiece featuring American flags, baseballs and racing flames, along with messaging to support the fight against ALS.
“The fact that Jeff celebrated his 47th birthday on Saturday at the Phoenix International Raceway really put the icing on the cake,” said ALS Association President and CEO Jane H. Gilbert. “This was a wonderful way for the ALS community to get behind Jeff and his son Ethan. In addition, highlighting their creativity brings awareness about this devastating disease to NASCAR racing fans nationwide.”
The second round of Toyota’s “Sponsafy Your Ride Contest” – Sponsafier 2 -- continued the quest to take one fan’s NASCAR Sprint Cup car masterpiece from online design to real sheet metal. Fans were invited to flaunt their artistic ingenuity at www.toyotaracing.com using pre-loaded graphics, paint brushes and even their own personal photos.
“For me, this is all about ALS awareness and creating family memories for my son Ethan,” said Hallowell, who designed the winning car with his eight-year-old son. “This is truly a dream come true.’”
For his efforts, Hallowell received a prize package for the weekend’s race festivities in Phoenix, including airfare, hotel accommodations, tickets to race weekend events, a meet and greet with Toyota driver Kyle Busch, exclusive Toyota Racing apparel and spending cash. In addition to the grand prize package, Toyota has donated a 2011 Sienna mobility van to the Hallowell family to help with transportation needs.
"There have been quite a few designs that have been really, really cool," said Busch, who drives a Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. "It’s neat that my No. 18 Camry was selected by Jeff and Ethan for their winning Sponsafier design. The ‘Lou Gehrig aka ALS’ design will bring awareness to a serious problem affecting many people and I’m glad to be a part of it."
More than 600,000 votes were cast during Sponsafier 2. A total of 10 finalists chosen by popular vote qualified to compete for the grand prize. A panel of judges comprised of Toyota executives and NASCAR personalities selected the grand prize winner, along with two runners-up -- “CureHD” and “Buckle Up for Hannah.”
“To have more than 52,000 submissions for ‘Sponsafier 2’ reflects on how well the overall campaign was received by the fans,” said Ed Laukes, corporate motorsports marketing manager for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. (TMS). “We received a plethora of cause-related designs aimed at bringing awareness to many topics, but the creativity and attention to detail showcased by Jeff and Ethan was unmatched. We would like to thank all the fans for their submissions this year and encourage you to stay tuned for the next phase of Sponsafier.”
To view the winning design “Lou Gehrig aka ALS,” Racing Team Challenge entries and all of the Sponsafier vehicle submissions, visit http://www.sponsafier.com.
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