Hundreds Gathered To Walk With NHRA Drivers, Raise Awareness For Spinal Cord Diseases
Drivers, fans and organizers have been at the Gainesville Raceway all weekend. Some were there to race, some to watch, and on Sunday, for the first time, many people came to walk.
That's what hundreds of people did Sunday morning to help raise money and awareness for the Darrel Gwynn Foundation. The organization hosted it's first annual track walk for those who can't.
"It's the first of it's kind at NHRA, so we're witnessing the first track walk where fans can actually walk the track with the drivers, who donated their time today," Former NHRA Driver Darrel Gwynn said.
Drivers like Dixon, Brown and Berstein used their feet instead of their wheels to go down the quarter mile track.
Gwynn has won 28 national events. An accident at England's Santa Pond Raceway left him paralyzed from the waist down. Since then, Gwynn has been an advocate for people who are living with spinal cord injuries and diseases.
Gwynn says this weekend has been a special one for the organization.
"This weekend is a homerun for the Darrell Gwynn Foundation because not only are we raising awareness, we're raising money, we're also giving a wheel chair away," Gwynn said.
Brian Robinson, this year's wheelchair recipient, suffers from a form of muscular dystrophy. Robinson says it's foundations like gwynn's that really help people with disabilities.
"The more I've learned about it, the more I want to be part of helping them raise money and things like that because honestly it's a great cause," Robinson said.
The foundation has rasied hundreds of thousands of dollars through their different programs. Organizers are hoping to give away 40 wheelchairs this year.
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