The Nascar Golf Connection

NASCAR drivers love golf, especially in charity tournaments, when drivers routinely emerge from their cars to tee off in numerous charity events. Quite often these events are in Florida, a state where golf and NASCAR often dominate the sports pages. Texas is another possible venue for this to happen. The HP Byron Nelson is coming in May. Will there be Nascar celebrities at the Byron Nelson Pro-Ams this year on May 17-24th?

The Nelson is in Irving, Texas, only a few miles east of the Texas Motor Speedway. This is a good opportunity for Nascar drivers and executives to participate in a tournament that also has a huge impact on a charitable organization.

The Salesmanship Club has a rich history of serving children in our community. Salesmanship Club Youth and Family Centers, a proud partner of United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, currently operates innovative programs for children and their families, including the J. Erik Jonsson Community School in Oak Cliff (south Dallas), and child and family mental health centers in Oak Cliff and the Stemmons (I-35e) corridor. From educational services for at-risk kids to therapy services for troubled kids, the charity beneficiary of the HP Byron Nelson Championship has continued to serve Dallas kids and families since 1920.

I remember the Homestead-Miami Speedway Celebrity Golf Classic, for example. This event was held at Doral Golf Resort & Spa; some of the biggest names in all of NASCAR came to take their hacks for a worthy cause. The 2007 version included such hard-driving luminaries as Juan Pablo Montoya, Darrell Waltrip and Rusty Wallace, as well as stars from other sports like Lawrence Taylor and Gary Carter.

Golf and Nascar can mutually benefit from tournaments such as these. With the DFW metorplex being the nation’s 7th largest media market, Nascar golfers might want to take a second look at larger tournaments. Thousands of fans might come to see their favorite Nascar celebrity while helping a great charity in the process.

Bruce Cameron, Nascar Analyst