When Kevin Rudeen, a team owner of sprint cars for almost 30 years, lost his eldest son Rayce, the racing community was there for him. The outpouring of support was astounding. Inspired by his gratitude for this tight-knit community’s support, Kevin founded an annual race in honor of his son.
We want the racing community throughout the United States to learn about the Rayce Rudeen Foundation’s work to expand access to addiction resources and remove the stigma of addiction within our communities.
When Kevin’s car and driver roll out onto the track, the fans hear this from the announcer:
“Many of you may know of the Rudeen name, represented by the 26 car—but you may not know about the Rayce Rudeen Foundation. In 2016, Kevin Rudeen tragically lost his son Rayce to an overdose.
In order to honor his life and keep his memory alive, his family started a private foundation to help others. Today, the Rayce Rudeen Foundation is a certified nonprofit that gives grant money to the organizations and programs that encourage a healthy productive life, free from addiction. It is their goal to help fill the gaps in a broken system of addiction, treatment, and recovery.
100% of all donations the foundation receives go directly to our grants and programs— which means every penny donated goes straight to those who need it the most. The Rudeen family is passionate about preventing others from suffering the same loss they have.”
In 2021, we added a very special award to the race: the Rayce Rudeen Award. This award is given to someone who exemplifies Rayce’s humble heart and selflessness. The recipient of this award demonstrated kindness to those around him/her, made sure others were cared for, and showed a compassionate heart. We could not be prouder of those who have won this award.
2021 Circle City Speedway: Blake Anderson – the first ever to receive the award
2021 Circle City Speedway: Carol McCann
2021 Gas City Speedway: Paul McMahan
2021 Kokomo Speedway: Adam Whitfield
