The pink pit wall at Charlotte Motor Speedway returns this year, now bearing a very personal message.
More than 100 breast cancer survivors and supporters joined Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina and NASCAR drivers Tuesday to paint more than 1,300 feet of the pit-road wall pink.
The 14th annual Paint Pit Wall Pink event marks the start of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The pink wall will remain in place through the NASCAR race weekend.
Cup Series drivers Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ryan Preece, Todd Gilliland, Cole Custer and Cody Ware took part in the event. O’Reilly Auto Parts Series drivers Lavar Scott and Brad Perez also joined Craftsman Truck Series driver Daniel Hemric.
NASCAR Paint Pit Wall Pink Event Takes Emotional Turn
Charlotte Motor Speedway executive vice president and general manager Jessica Fickenscher shared her own breast cancer story during the NASCAR event.
“Standing here today is incredibly emotional for me, because exactly one year ago, my life looked very different,” Fickenscher said.
She explained that she had recently received a breast cancer diagnosis when she attended the Paint Pit Wall Pink event a year ago.
“I remember seeing all the pink. But more importantly, I saw the women. I saw survivors. I saw women laughing, hugging, living their lives, and standing on the other side of something that I had just been told I was going to have to face,” she said.
Fickenscher said the experience helped her believe she could get through the treatment.
The NASCAR Paint Pit Wall Pink event focuses on early detection, support for people undergoing treatment and recognition of breast cancer survivors.
NASCAR Drivers Join Breast Cancer Awareness Effort
The NASCAR drivers helped survivors and supporters cover the pit wall with pink paint. Once finished, the 1,300-foot wall will remain visible during the Charlotte race weekend.
Survivors also shared their stories before taking part in a parade lap around the frontstretch quarter-mile.
Volunteers prepared more than 250 care packages for people receiving support through Atrium Health’s Project Pink and Nothing Pink programs.
Cheryl Parquet, associate vice president of community engagement at Blue Cross NC, said the event highlights the role of community support during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
“Paint Pit Wall Pink is a chance for us to shine a light on the resilient individuals impacted by breast cancer,” Parquet said.
Blue Cross NC has partnered with Charlotte Motor Speedway on the event for more than a decade. The NASCAR event has become an annual part of the speedway’s October schedule.
Charlotte NASCAR Race Weekend Gives Pink Wall Bigger Stage
The NASCAR Paint Pit Wall Pink tradition began in the early 2010s and has continued through changes to the Cup Series schedule and playoff format.
The pink pit wall has become a familiar part of NASCAR’s October races at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The wall will receive plenty of attention this weekend because all three national NASCAR series will race at the track.
The Craftsman Truck Series Ecosave 200 opens the weekend Friday. The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Blue Cross NC 300 follows Saturday.
The NASCAR Cup Series Bank of America 400 takes place Sunday at Charlotte’s 1.5-mile oval.
The Cup Series returns to the oval for the first time since 2017 after the Charlotte playoff race spent recent years on the infield road course.
With pit road expected to see heavy use throughout the NASCAR race weekend, the pink wall will remain visible behind the teams during every stop.
NASCAR Faces Emotional Moment as Charlotte’s Pit Wall Reveals a Story No One Expected