In one of the most unusual sponsorship agreements in professional sports history, Beckman and Johnson have sponsorships from two charitable organizations. Beckman drives the Infinite Hero Funny Car; Johnson pedals the Make-A-Wish Funny Car.
And neither charity pays a dime for the ride.
The program is the quiet creation of Terry Chandler. The sister of former Funny Car driver and 2013 Gatornationals winner Johnny Gray Jr. uses a portion of an inheritance to generate support for two worthy causes. The NHRA has proved to be a worthy vehicle to deliver the message.
Always around and usually far from the spotlight, Chandler generally avoids interviews and accolades. After she arranged a meeting between Johnson and Motley’s family at the busy Gainesville Raceway garage area Saturday, Chandler reluctantly talked about the programs.
“It’s not about me,” she said. “I’m just a simple woman. It hurts my heart to see people hurt. This heals my heart.”
It also heals broken lives.
In the past year, Linfoot has been fitted with an exoskeleton. It’s a bionic brace that’s strapped to his back and legs that enables him to walk. The brace cost $125,000 and was entirely paid by the race team.
“This is changing lives,” Beckman said. “When we deal with our veterans, it’s about family. It’s that way in the NHRA, too. We’ve found all they want is to be normal. While it may not be the exact normal they’ve known, Infinite Hero is doing a wonderful job of making that happen.”
The program has helped Linfoot take “250,000 steps and counting.” It also will allow him to walk his daughter down the aisle when she gets married in October.
“Terry’s a sweetheart,” Linfoot said. “Four or five years ago, walking again would have just been a pipe dream.”
Beckman carries military-like challenge coins inside his Dodge Charger. Fans can buy one for $100 after each round, and all money goes to the veterans’ charity that was created by Oakley Sunglasses. In addition to paying for Linfoot’s exoskeleton, the team raised $170,000 by selling the coins and more than $200,000 in other promotions.
“I can 100 percent guarantee you, it’s helping lives,” Beckman said.
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