Heidi Klum & More Honored for Contributions to Pediatric Cancer

NASCAR Chairman Brian France and his wife Amy were honored last night for their contributions to pediatric cancer at the Gabrielle's Angel Foundation for Cancer Research nationally acclaimed Angel Ball in New York City.

The couple was honored alongside supermodel and television host Heidi Klum and the star-studded crowd, which included Nick Cannon and James Carville, was treated to musical performances from One Republic, Patti LaBelle and Billy Porter.

The Frances galvanized members from across the NASCAR community to support and attend the event including four-time NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES Champion Jeff Gordon, NASCAR Chief Operating Officer Brent Dewar, NASCAR Vice Chairman Mike Helton, International Speedway Corporation Chairwoman Lesa France-Kennedy, NASCAR Foundation Chairwoman Betty Jane France and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Ben Kennedy.

"As important as sports may sometimes seem, events such as this remind us of what is truly important," said Brian France. "We were extremely humbled by tonight's honor but that is only icing on the cake compared to the difference we can make in the lives of children."

The Frances, in partnership with Gabrielle's Angel Foundation for Cancer Research, hosted children cancer survivors behind-the-scenes at the Pocono Speedway in June and dedicated the race to cancer survivors.

"As a parent, I was reminded that any of those children at that race could have been my child or your child," said Amy France during her speech. "These are the moments that motivate me to contribute to cancer research."

Gordon gave a speech and introduced the Frances at the event.

"I have known Brian since the start of my career which goes back nearly 25 years. Over that time he has become a close friend and someone I have a tremendous amount of respect for," said Gordon. "As the third generation Chairman of NASCAR, he is a bold, collaborative and visionary leader."

This will mark the latest philanthropic achievement for the Frances who founded the Luke and Meadow Foundation, named after their four-year old twins, in 2011. They have since supported, raised awareness, given their time and made multimillion dollar donations to a wide-range of causes they are passionate about including: Stand Up For Heroes in support of 9-11 families; Autism Speaks, the Michael J. FOX Foundation for Parkinson's research, Providence Day School and many others.

This weekend, NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup heads to Talladega for the final race of the Contender Round on October 25, at 2:30 p.m. eastern on NBC Sports Network. Following the race, four drivers will be eliminated and eight will remain in contention to be the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion.

About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States. NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™, NASCAR XFINITY Series™, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™), four regional series, one local grassroots series and three international series. The International Motor Sports Association® (IMSA®) governs the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit http://www.NASCAR.com and http://www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR at www.Facebook.com/NASCAR and Twitter: @NASCAR.

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