NASCAR Racing
2006 St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Target House
Founded in 1962 by late entertainer Danny Thomas, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., is the largest center in the United States for the treatment and research of pediatric cancer and other life-threatening childhood diseases. The unique hospital, which shares its treatment procedures upon request with other hospitals for free, has increased childhood cancer survival rates from 20 to 70 percent overall.Funded by Target Stores and its vendor and celebrity partners, Target House is a home away from home for families with children receiving life-saving treatment at St. Jude Children’s Hospital. As an extension of St. Jude’s commitment to care for any child regardless of the family’s ability to pay, Target House provides residents the privacy of a furnished two-bedroom apartment, free of charge.
Since 1997, Target Chip Ganassi Racing (TCGR) has raised more than $440,000 for St. Jude Hospital and Target House by donating $5,000 for each victory, $1,000 for each pole position and $25 for each lap led.
With the success of the IndyCar and NASCAR teams during the 2006 season, Target Chip Ganassi Racing was able to make another sizable donation to Target House. The $61,475 donation raised by TCGR was highlighted by five $5,000 victories, one of which was the prestigious Rolex 24 at Daytona with Scott Dixon, Casey Mears, and Dan Wheldon and two wins each by Scott Dixon and Dan Wheldon in the IndyCar Series, as well as three $1,000 pole positions in the IndyCar Series. That was in addition to the $24,400 worth of laps led by the IndyCar drivers and $6,800 in laps led during the Daytona 24 hour race. Rookie Sorenson led 91 laps in his NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Target car in 2006 for an additional $2,250.
The three TCGR drivers, Scott Dixon, Reed Sorenson and Dan Wheldon made a special trip to Memphis, Tennessee in October to tour St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and visit the children of Target House.
This was a first time visit for both Wheldon and Sorenson who were impressed by the facilities but more so by the spirit of the kids living there.
"A lot of these kids have very serious illnesses, but they seem in such positive spirits. That's because they've been put in a very positive environment," said Wheldon who, along with his teammates, posed for photos, signed autographs and spent some time with the kids. "I've never seen anything quite like it to be quite honest."
"It seems like every room you go in here, it's amazing what they've done here," said Sorenson. "They've built character into every room. It makes it an enjoyable place to be."
Dixon was in his third visit and has taken part in various team promotions throughout the years to raise awareness and funds for the Target House. His favorite was last year’s Indianapolis 500/ Coca-Cola 600 project in which all the Target drivers wore helmets with designs created by the kids of Target House. He sees the yearly visits as a great reminder and motivator to continue those efforts.
"It's rewarding for us because we can see, in person, how much the donations help these kids," Dixon said. "Not many people get to see this side of it. It's the individuals who make places like this run that are the real heros. The only problem is that you can't bring everyone here to see it first hand and that’s unfortunate because it is fantastic to see how they accommodate these kids."
Wheldon was particularly impressed with the people who work and volunteer at the facility.
"The people involved in Target House are like a race team. You can have everything right, but if the people aren't working in the same direction, you aren't going to get results," Wheldon said. "The people here are doing it right. It's truly nice to be associated with people who take the time and effort to do something like they're doing here."
2006 St. Jude Donation Tally
25$ per laps led
1000$ for pole
5000$ for win
1000$ for pole
5000$ for win
| Race | Driver | Win | Pole | Laps Led | Donation |
| Daytona 24 | Dixon/ C Mears/ Wheldon | 1 | 272 | $11,800 | |
| Homestead Miami | Dan Wheldon | 1 | 8 | $5,200 | |
| St.Petersburg | Scott Dixon | 36 | $900 | ||
| Japan | Scott Dixon | 5 | $125 | ||
| Dan Wheldon | 5 | $125 | |||
Indianapolis 500 |
Scott Dixon | 6 | $150 | ||
| Dan Wheldon | 148 | $3,700 | |||
| Watkins Glen | Scott Dixon | 1 | 9 | $5,225 | |
| Dan Wheldon | 13 | $325 | |||
| Texas | Dan Wheldon | 171 | $4,275 | ||
| Michigan | Reed Sorenson | 3 | $75 | ||
| Daytona | Reed Sorenson | 1 | $25 | ||
| Kansas | Scott Dixon | 5 | $125 | ||
| Dan Wheldon | 1 | 45 | $2,125 | ||
| Chicago | Reed Sorenson | 6 | $150 | ||
| Nashville | Scott Dixon | 1 | 69 | $6,725 | |
| Dan Wheldon | 1 | 115 | $3,875 | ||
| New Hampshire | Reed Sorenson | 31 | $775 | ||
| Michigan | Dan Wheldon | 14 | $350 | ||
| Watkins Glen | Reed Sorenson | 2 | $50 | ||
| Kentucky | Scott Dixon | 22 | $550 | ||
| Dan Wheldon | 66 | $1,650 | |||
| Sonoma | Scott Dixon | 1 | 40 | $2,000 | |
| Dan Wheldon | 10 | $250 | |||
| Fontana | Reed Sorenson | 8 | $200 | ||
| Chicagoland | Scott Dixon | 23 | $575 | ||
| Dan Wheldon | 1 | 166 | $9,150 | ||
| Dover | Reed Sorenson | 39 | $975 | ||
| Talladega | Reed Sorenson | 1 | $25 | ||
| TOTAL | 5 | 3 | 1339 | $61,475.00 |