NASCAR Vice Chairman Mike Helton and wife Lynda have been chosen as recipients of an award for their philanthropic and service efforts to the Volusia County, Florida community.
The Heltons will receive the Glenn and Connie Ritchey Community Service Award on April 24, 2020, at Daytona International Speedway’s Daytona 500 Club. According to a media release, the award “honors local heroes whose leadership and service make Volusia County a better place to live, work and play.”
Daytona Beach and Daytona International Speedway are both located within Volusia County.
This is the 16th year the award has been given, benefiting the Council on Aging of Volusia (COA). The Heltons, who reside in Volusia County, have long been involved in a number of county-based activities, including local arts, health and human service organizations, as well as NASCAR-supported charities, according to the media release.
“Lynda and Mike are known for their generosity to the NASCAR nation, in addition to their involvement in our own community, which includes their support of Council on Aging and SMA Healthcare, among countless other organizations,” said Sarah Gurtis, COA’s President and CEO. “We are thrilled that this wonderful couple was selected to receive this honor, and we are genuinely looking forward to this event!”
The evening will be a casual event “centered around three things – jeans, boots and wine,” the release said. There will be several fundraising elements to the evening, as well. Since the Ritchey Award was first started 15 years ago, it has raised well over $1 million to provide services to Volusia County at-risk seniors.
Members of the NASCAR community have been honored several times over the past 15 years, with other past winners including Anne Bledsoe France and husband/NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., Betty Jane and Bill France Jr., and International Speedway Corp. CEO Lesa France Kennedy and brother and former NASCAR chairman/CEO Brian France.