 "Photo: JOSH COGAN FOR THE DIAMONDBACK")
NASCAR driver and university alumnus Donnie Neuenberger, who was diagnosed with cancer last spring, visited the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington yesterday to speak with terminally ill children and sign donated models of his race cars.
“I just tell them that they’ve got to be thankful every day, just ‘be happy, be strong,’” Neuenberger said. “It’s easy to get down. I can appreciate watching somebody smile or having somebody laugh.”
Neuenberger’s No. 77 Ford race car, bearing the university’s “Fear the Turtle” logo, has been on display in the hospital since Wednesday. This is the first stop for a charity campaign by Neuenberger and DGN Racing, which raises money to donate die-cast model race cars to terminally ill children by selling the same cars to fans.
“I feel there’s tons of money for research and development, but there’s not much for people once they come down with it,” Neuenberger said.
So far, the organization has sold about 500 of the cars, enough to pay for the 250 donated yesterday. Next, Neuenberger said he plans to donate cars at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore.
Teresa Jefferson, a spokeswoman for the children’s hospital, said the children were excited to see the race car and meet Neuenberger.
“They are running up to it, saying, ‘Mom, Dad, look!,’” she said. “They’re in awe.”
Though Neuenberger said his experience with follicular non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma inspired the fund-raiser, he would rather talk about cars than illnesses with the hospital’s patients.
“People love to talk ‘shop’ and see cars,” he said. “It gives a neat atmosphere to somewhere that’s usually a tough place to be.”
Neuenberger returned to racing Feb. 19 in the NASCAR-Busch-Hershey’s Take 5 300, finishing 38th in his No. 72 “Pray 4 Our Troops” Chevy.
“It’s a great feeling to get back behind a competitive car,” said Neuenberger, who is in partial remission.
“After the type of treatments I’ve done, they’re always worried if you’re OK, if you can still race,” he said. “To go back and run the whole race, all but eight or 10 laps, makes everybody more comfortable, lets you get back to some normality.”
Born and raised in Brandywine, Md., Neuenberger turned down a basketball scholarship to another school to major in business management at this university. He dropped out and owned several service stations and tow trucks before selling everything to pursue NASCAR racing.
Neuenberger is sponsored by the university and has driven the “Fear the Turtle” car since 2002. The partnership began after the Terrapin men’s basketball team’s national championship and the Terrapin football team’s Atlantic Coast Conference championship and has remained unaltered through his illness.
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