Comcast is proud to announce nominations for the 2021 Comcast Community Champion of the Year are now open through August 2, 2021 at ComcastCommunityChampion.com. In its seventh year, this prestigious annual award serves to recognize the philanthropic efforts of individuals within the NASCAR industry.
Created in 2015, the Comcast Community Champion of the Year Award is designed to honor the incredible efforts of NASCAR industry members who are giving selflessly to improve their communities. Comcast will select and honor three finalists, sharing their stories publicly. A committee of NASCAR & Comcast executives will then determine the Comcast Community Champion of the Year, awarding $60,000 to the champion’s affiliated charity and $30,000 to each of the two finalists’ selected charities later this year.
Since the inception of the program, Comcast has donated more than $700,000 to 18 different nonprofit organizations, furthering the impact of the philanthropic efforts of all finalists and champions. Past champions include:
- Bubba Wallace, representing the Live To Be Different Foundation
- Dover International Speedway President Mike Tatoian, representing USO Delaware
- Joey Logano, representing the Joey Logano Foundation
- Chip Ganassi Racing’s pit crew department, representing Ronald McDonald House
- JR Motorsports fabricator, Wade Jackson, representing Camp LUCK
- Joey Gase, representing the Iowa Donor Network
Wallace received the award last year.
“It was a big deal,” Wallace told NBC Sports of being selected the Comcast Community Champion of the Year in 2020. “It’s not something that I set out to do but very proud to be the past champion of the year and encouraging other people inside the sport and actually outside the sport as well, going above and beyond to support NASCAR communities across the nation. Humbling experience. Comcast has done a lot for our sport ever since they jumped into it.
“Being able to be a part of that and help things grow and for them to help grow my foundation is huge. We’re all about helping those people that are in need … It’s all about uplifting and bringing a positive light to everything.”
Wallace said it was important to create his foundation, which aims to support disadvantaged individuals who are in need of educational, medical, social or other physical and /or non-physical assistance.
“It’s all about encouraging others,” he said.
“There are so many endless possibilities (to help) and talking to people in my corner here, it’s like ‘Do we focus on one thing or can we be a part of multiple different things?’ ... Keeping it on a broader scale, I think, is a better fit for the Live to be Different Foundation.”
Eligible award recipients from NASCAR’s top three national series are:
- Race team owners, employees and drivers
- Employees from tracks on the 2021 schedule
- NASCAR officials
- Motorsports media members
“Uplifting communities is one of our core values at Comcast, and we’re honored to recognize the selfless individuals from the NASCAR family going above and beyond to support their local communities,” said Matt Lederer, Comcast’s Vice President, Brand Partnerships and Amplification. “We’re calling on race fans and industry family members to nominate these unseen heroes so we can continue to highlight the amazing work and causes they are supporting.”
To nominate and learn additional details about the award, visit ComcastCommunityChampion.com today through August 2, 2021.
Comcast, the parent company of NBCUniversal, has a storied history of strengthening communities each and every day of the year providing education opportunities and digital skills training to help create more pathways to economic mobility for young people and adults alike.
In March, on the 10th anniversary of the Internet Essentials program, Comcast announced it would invest $1 billion over the next 10 years to further close the digital divide and provide even more low-income Americans the tools and resources they need to succeed in an increasingly digital world. In 2020, Comcast provided nearly $500 million in total support to 4,500 nonprofit partners sharing Comcast commitment to creating a more connected and equitable world.