Goodwill Debuts in NASCAR Atlanta Race

An Oct. 28 NASCAR truck race that featured a Toyota Tundra with the Goodwill “Smiling G” logo might not have ended ideally, but it did bring plenty of added exposure to Goodwill.

Running in 22nd place, the #59 truck took a hard hit and crashed into the outside wall during lap 95 of the EasyCare Vehicle Service Contracts 200 in Atlanta, Ga. Although the truck sustained too much damage to return to the race, driver Chad Chaffin was not injured. "It was a tough break," said Ray Bishop, CEO of Goodwill Industries of North Georgia, which is located in Atlanta.

Bishop and four other Goodwill representatives attending the race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway agreed that the HT Motorsports Toyota had one of the best paint schemes on the track. They were proud to see the familiar "Smiling G" logo and "Let’s Go to Work" tagline zooming around the track, which was filled with about 50,000 spectators.

Before the crash, the Speed Channel featured Chaffin and the Goodwill Industries truck during the station’s broadcast of the race. Thanks to Jim Harris—the owner of the truck—the Speed Channel commentators also shared with listeners that Goodwill places a person in a job every 57 seconds of every business day.

"We want to raise awareness of the economic investment Goodwill makes in communities across North America by turning donations into jobs," said Jim Harris, owner of the Goodwill Toyota Tundra and HT Motorsports. "We hope NASCAR fans will see Goodwill as a place where they can both donate the things they no longer need and find support and training to be successful at work."

From left to right: Elaine Armstrong, public relations manager, Goodwill Industries of North Georgia, Atlanta; Ray Bishop, CEO, Goodwill Industries of North Georgia, Atlanta; Sheri Wetekam, VP Contracts, Goodwill of Greater Washington, D.C.; Catherine Meloy, CEO, Goodwill of Greater Washington, D.C.; and Dave Barringer, VP member relations, Goodwill Industries International

In addition to Bishop, Goodwill representatives in attendance included the CEO of Goodwill of Greater Washington (DC), Catherine Meloy; Goodwill Industries International Vice President of Member Relations, Dave Barringer; Atlanta Public Relations Manager, Elaine Armstrong; and D.C. Vice President of Contracts Operations Sheri Wetekam.

Wetekam is responsible for planting the seed that convinced her friend Jim Harris to display the smiling G logo on his truck before she even started working for Goodwill. “Sheri was not [yet] employed at Goodwill when she came to me with this amazing opportunity,” said Catherine Meloy. “But, anyone who knows Sheri knows she is always working for Goodwill.”

Meloy went on to say, "We are grateful to Jim Harris and his HT Motorsports team for their generous support of Goodwill and introducing us to NASCAR fans at the racetrack. The people we serve often come to us when they're barely at the starting line of their careers, and thanks to the public's support of Goodwill, we are able to help them enter the workforce and advance their careers."

The HT Motorsports team may not have completed its mission to finish the race, but thanks to Harris and his crew, NASCAR fans know a little more about the Goodwill mission.

Photos by High Sierra Photo