During the 2020 SCCA® National Convention in Las Vegas, the SCCA Foundation announced that Jim Boggs of National Park, NJ, won the winter sweepstakes fundraiser for a trip for four to tour Jay Leno’s Big Dog Garage in Burbank, California. The prize also includes $4,000 in cash for travel expenses and four passes to the amazing Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. Boggs is a member of the South Jersey Region of the SCCA and is a licensed road racer competing in the GT-2 class.
"You just made my day!” Boggs proclaimed upon hearing he’d been the lucky SCCA Foundation Winter Sweepstakes winner. “This has been on my bucket list forever and I was starting to think that I might not get to check it off. Thank you to the SCCA Foundation for the wonderful things they do and this opportunity!"
Not open to the public, the visit to Leno’s Big Dog Garage resulted from a relationship between the iconic comedian and SCCA Foundation board member Tim Suddard, who is from SCCA’s Buccaneer Region and is the publisher of both Grassroots Motorsports and Classic Motorsports magazines. In appreciation for the donated prize, on January 20th Suddard presented Leno with a Lifetime Membership to the SCCA.
“Many months ago, I had a conversation with Jay and explained all the amazing things SCCA Foundation tackles, thanks to generous donors and fundraising efforts,” Suddard explained. “I gingerly inquired if he’d be willing to donate a visit to his wonderous Big Dog Garage and, before I could finish the pitch, Jay said, ‘You got it.’”
“To say the SCCA Foundation thanks Jay for his amazing support is an understatement of comedic proportion,” continued Suddard. “Therefore, we thought it appropriate to bestow Jay with a Lifetime Membership to the Sports Car Club of America. After all, if there’s one guy who personifies ‘fun with cars,’ it’s Mr. Leno.”
Jeff Jacobs, Vice Chairman of the SCCA Foundation, said the winter sweepstakes raised nearly $40,000 in donations made by 567 people who purchased nearly 6,200 tickets.
"Thanks to the generosity of everyone who donated during this fundraiser, the SCCA Foundation has the funding to continue growing our terrific programs including the Tire Rack Street Survival teen driving school and the ongoing preservation of the SCCA Archives," Jacobs said. "This would not have been possible without the kindness of Jay Leno in donating the prize and the outreach by Foundation board member Tim Suddard."
SCCA Foundation, the charitable arm of the Sports Car Club of America®, supports hands-on education and safety programs, recognizes excellence in automotive engineering education and promotes the SCCA’s heritage and Club history. Initiatives supported by SCCA Foundation include:
- Saving the Lives of Teen Drivers: Through the Tire Rack Street Survival program, the SCCA Foundation and local SCCA Regions host day-long skills training programs to help teen drivers learn how to avoid accidents and deal with emergency car handling situations on the street. This program reaches hundreds of teen drivers each year and continues to grow thanks your financial support.
- Preserving the History of American Motorsport: The Foundation funds the preservation work taking place with the SCCA Archives at the International Motor Racing Research Center in Watkins Glen, NY. The SCCA Archives contains the history of the SCCA, all the types of events it has sanctioned, and member and car histories since the inception of the SCCA.
- Encouraging Future Automotive Passion: The Foundation provides support and prizes for the national Formula SAE competitions held in Michigan and Nebraska each year, to encourage the automotive and race engineers of tomorrow.
- Veterans in Motorsports: The Foundation provides support for our men and women in uniform through the non-profit VETMotorsports.org organization. The program works to help reduce the suicide rate among injured veterans by engaging them in transformative motorsports experiences. As part of the program, post-9/11 veterans with service-connected injuries are placed inside the ropes and behind the wheel at select SCCA events, and mentored by SCCA members and staff.
- Women on Track: The Foundation helps to fund and manage the Wendi Allen Scholarship program that recognizes and encourages increased participation in autocross and Region leadership positions by women across the country.
For more information, visit http://www.sccafoundation.com.
Photo: SCCA Foundation board member Tim Suddard (left) presents Jay Leno with an SCCA Lifetime Membership.
