Cabarrus Today

The owners of a racecar team are using their transporters to ferry protective masks and related protective gear to help protect healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“If you want something done quickly and efficiently, partner with a NASCAR team,” Mark Welch, senior vice president of the supply chain for healthcare providers Novant Health, told WBTV 3 in May. “Stewart-Haas Racing stepped up in a big way. They took hold of a complex logistical situation and delivered life-saving equipment to Novant Health. The masks they delivered will ensure our supply of this critical necessity is replenished.”

Novant Health is a four-state network of physician clinics headquartered in North Carolina, with outpatient centers and hospitals. The health organization is made up of more than 1,600 physicians and 29,000 employees at more than 640 locations.

Stewart-Haas Racing is an American professional stock car racing team based in North Carolina that races in the NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. Team owners are NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart and Gene Haas, the founder of Haas Automotive.

Auto racing was on hiatus until last weekend because of the coronavirus along with other spectator sporting events.

To stop the spread of COVID-19, Stewart-Haas Racing was able to provide two of the team’s 53-foot racecar haulers (vans) it uses to transport racecars to tracks across the country to help supply much needed personal protective equipment called "PPE's" to healthcare treatment centers, WBTV reported.

Mike Verlander, vice president of sales and marketing for Stewart-Haas Racing, said the organization is glad to help by shipping protective gear to those who need it.  

“We’ve always had a good, neighborly rapport with Novant Health, and when they asked if we could help pick up some PPE supplies, we immediately said yes,” Verlander told WBTV. “Credit to our truck drivers, Rick Hodges and Steve Mitchell, for making the overnight trip and picking up this needed equipment. We’ve all been practicing social distancing and adhering to stay-at-home orders, but to be able to go a step further and contribute to what Novant Health is doing to combat this virus – that’s something we take a lot of pride in and we’ll do again without hesitation.”