Neighbor News
NASCAR star Newman to drive Driven2SaveLives midget car in Tulsa
Indiana native continues partnership with Indiana Donor Network, returns to dirt track roots in January's Chili Bowl Nationals
NASCAR star Ryan Newman will continue a partnership with Indiana Donor Network and its Driven2SaveLives initiative in 2022 to help raise awareness about lifesaving organ, tissue and eye donation and inspire race fans to become organ donors.
Newman, a South Bend, Ind., native, will drive the new Driven2SaveLives midget car for Clauson Marshall Racing in the 2022 Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals, a USAC National Midget Series event, Jan. 10-15 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
The new car will be revealed Monday evening at Clauson Marshall Racing in Fishers.
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Newman’s midget car will display the nameplate of donor hero Cody Brommer, who died in 2015 at age 21. Before his death, Brommer signed up to become an organ donor. Because of his selfless decision to donate his organs and tissue, eight people's lives were saved through organ transplantation and two others gained sight through cornea transplantation.
Today, his mother, Julie, is in remission from stage four colon cancer but undergoes daily dialysis as her kidneys and pancreas are failing from her 40-year battle with Type 1 diabetes. Formerly on the national organ transplant list, Julie had to abandon hopes of receiving a lifesaving transplant due to her cancer diagnosis. But she's optimistic she can keep cancer at bay and continue dialysis until she's again eligible to rejoin the transplant list.
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Randy and Julie Brommer, with daughter Lyndsey, have championed organ donation to honor their late son since his death. They encourage fellow Hoosiers to sign up to be organ donors to help those in need have a second chance at life.
This will be the second straight year that Newman will return to his dirt track roots and drive the Driven2SaveLives midget car in the Chili Bowl Nationals. His career began in 1983 when he competed in his first open-wheel, quarter-midget race. Newman has been racing on the NASCAR circuit since 2000, winning 18 times in the NASCAR Cup series, including the 2013 Brickyard 400 and 2008 Daytona 500. He’s also won seven times in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and once in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
Since 2016, Indiana Donor Network’s Driven2SaveLives program has raised awareness around organ, tissue and eye donation. The initiative educates race fans across the country and inspires them to become organ donors.