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NASCAR Driver Gives Up Primo Daytona 500 Seats To Give Back To Wounded Vets

JESSUP, Md. (WJZ)—Almost as soon as a new indoor go-cart track opened in Jessup, top NASCAR driver Kurt Busch walked in to try it out.

As Mike Schuh reports, Busch spends a lot of time locally, and now he and his girlfriend are giving back.

This story has more twists and turns than a race track.

Kurt Busch is a top NASCAR driver.  Much of the year he lives in Ellicott City with Patricia Driscoll, his girlfriend.

Driscoll also runs the Armed Forces Foundation.

While Busch was given primo seats to the Daytona 500, Driscoll had an idea.

"My boyfriend, Kurt Busch, and I have donated our tickets for the Daytona 500 weekend," Driscoll said.

Busch, Driscoll and her child come to Autobahn Indoor Speedway to blow off steam.

So, Autobahn Indoor Speedway is donating $2 for everyone who registers for Busch's primo tickets and $2 for every race run on the go-cart track.

The donations and airfare will cost them thousands.

What's interesting about this is that the people who are actually racing the carts don't have to pay anything to enter the contest.

That's right. The customer doesn't have to pay anything.

"Nothing," said Jordan Wallace, Autobahn Indoor Speedway. "We want to give back to the Armed Forces Foundation. We want wounded warriors, Iraq vets, it doesn't matter who. We want you to know you can come out here and race with us, and we believe in good causes, and this is a really good one."

It's money helping families whose veteran is getting medical treatment.

"A lot of people don't realize when the families come here they're taking time off from work, and while the travel is paid for by the government, the bills at home aren't, and some guys are here for years, so we have to keep their finances afloat," Driscoll said.

So, Driscoll helps vets and their families, talks her boyfriend out of primo tickets, and we're told she regularly beats him on the go-cart track.

For more information about the Armed Forces Foundation, click here. To donate $10 to directly support AFF, text AFF50555.

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