Partnership Comes Together in Time

by 4ever3 on Jan 30, 2010 12:09 PM EST in NASCAR Official Press Releases

Tim George Jr. Teams Up with Buoniconti Fund

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (January 29, 2010) - 2006 University of Miami (UM) graduate and driver of the No. 71 TRG Porsche Tim George Jr. has partnered with The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis to develop a program that utilizes his racing career to spread awareness in an effort to find a cure for paralysis. The UM colors and logo will adorn the No. 71 TRG Porsche this weekend during the Grand-Am Road Racing Series Rolex 24 at Daytona.

While completing his bachelor degree, Tim had his first experience with racing catering a hospitality event. That one event established the UM student's passion for racing. Following his graduation, George Jr. began his motorsports career, starting in the Koni Challenge series. He then moved to the Grand-Am Road Racing Series, where he won the 2008 Rookie of the Year award with TRG. In 2009, George Jr. completed his rookie season in the ARCA Racing Series and will compete in the No. 31 RCR Development Chevy this year in the ARCA Racing Series, presented by Menards and RE/MAX.

The UM grad enjoyed his time in undergrad so much that he knew he wanted to get involved supporting the university, as soon as he could. Running the Rolex 24 at Daytona for his third time, George Jr. saw an opportunity to bring awareness to The Buoniconti Fund. In 2008, George Jr. finished 3^rd, and in 2009 he finished 2^nd. Tim George Jr. is looking for a win-win in 2010 - one on the podium, and one to help the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis.

"It is great to be back at Daytona in a Porsche with TRG, especially decorated in Hurricane colors. In 2010, I will mostly focus on my stock car career with Richard Childress Racing, but I do have a passion for Sports Car Racing, especially the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Kevin Buckler is a mastermind at this endurance race, and this is my opportunity to donate my winnings to The Buoniconti Fund," remarked Tim George Jr.

The Buoniconti Fund was founded in 1985 by NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Nick Buoniconti and Barth A. Green M.D. after Nick's son, Marc sustained a spinal cord injury during a college football game. The fund supports The Miami Project, which has become the world's most comprehensive spinal cord injury research center. While making breakthroughs in research, The Miami Project spends more than $59,000 each day to maintain their program, and The Buoniconti Fundworks to raise funds to sustain its daily expenses.

Within this program, The Buoniconti Fund and UM logos will have prime placement on George Jr.'s No. 71 TRG Porsche for the Rolex 24 at Daytona on January 30-31. Normally displaying the TRG colors, the No. 71 car will be decked out in orange, green and white for this special race weekend.

In addition to placement on the car and exposure during the race, George Jr. will donate all of his earned prize monies and licensing royalties from the Rolex 24 at Daytona to The Buoniconti Fund, to kickoff a year-long goal of raising enough funds to cover one day of the charity's operating expense of $59,000.

Marc Buoniconti, Nick's son, talks about this new partnership, "The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis is excited to be a part of the Tim George Jr. Race Team. This is a great opportunity to raise awareness and funds for spinal cord injury research and help get people out of their wheelchairs."

This program is not the first racing encounter for The Buoniconti Fund or its president, Marc. NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion Rusty Wallace was a 2009 Great Sports Legend Honoree at their 25^th annual dinner, and Marc took some laps with Grand-Am driver Wayne Taylor in a Daytona Prototype two-seater in October 2009.

George Jr. said, "We have had some ups and downs this weekend, but we also have a good shot at winning this race. There is a lot that goes into it, some of which is luck, and a lot of preparation. My guys have worked so hard, and I appreciate all the effort that goes into this race. I look forward to helping out Marc and the Buoniconti Fund as much as I can through my racing career. I encourage anyone who can help support to do so. You can reach out to the fund directly or contact me for partnership opportunities through my racing program."

Watch the No. 71 UM colored Porsche compete in the Rolex 24 at Daytona January 30-31 live on SPEED for 16 hours of live coverage starting at 3pm on January 30, 2010.

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About Tim George Jr.

The New York, N.Y., native began racing in the Skip Barber Racing School regional series in 2005. In 2007, he ran the Grand-Am KONI series before moving up to the Grand-Am Rolex series in the GT class. In 2008, Tim George Jr. was named Rolex Series MESCO "Building for the Future" Rookie-of-the-Year, while driving for The Racer's Group. He has two GT class podium finishes in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, finishing third in 2008 and second in 2009. The 29-year old driver made his transition to stock cars running full-time in 2009 in the ARCA Racing Series for Eddie Sharp Racing, finishing 11th in the point standings with one top-5, two top-10 and six top-15 finishes. George Jr. will pilot the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet in the ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards in 2010.

For more information, please visit www.timgeorgejr.com.

About The Buoniconti Fund

Founded in 1985 by NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Nick Buoniconti and Barth A. Green, M.D., The Buoniconti Fund is the world's most comprehensive spinal cord injury research center. Housed in the Lois Pope LIFE Center, a Center of Excellence at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, The Buoniconti Fund is the world's most comprehensive spinal cord injury research center. The Buoniconti Fund consists of an international team of more than 200 scientists, researchers and clinicians that take innovative approaches to the challenge of spinal cord injury. The Buoniconti Fund is "The Fundraising Arm of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis," which is located at the Miller School of Medicine, part of the University of Miami. With eighty-five cents out of every dollar raised going directly to research, The Buoniconti Fund is one of the best managed charitable organizations in the world.

For more information visit www.thebuonicontifund.com.

For more information about the University of Miami and the UM Alumni Association visit www.miami.com.

About the University of Miami

A private research university with more than 15,000 students from around the world, the University of Miami is a vibrant and diverse academic community focused on teaching and learning, the discovery of new knowledge, and service to the South Florida region and beyond. Established in 1925 during the region's famous real estate boom, UM is a major research university, engaged in more than $326 million in research and sponsored program expenditures a year. In 2009, U.S. News & World Report recognized UM among the top-tier of national universities, ranking it No. 50 in its listings of "America's Best Colleges; it also cited several of its programs in "America's Best Graduate Schools."

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