Gus Dean; DLP Motorsports donate bonus winnings to Folds of Honor
MOORESVILLE, N.C.: Winning race car driver Gus Dean and DLP Motorsports wanted to do something special to recognize Veterans Day in 2021.
And after a thorough research of military-based charities and outlets, today the duo announced a donation of five-hundred dollars to Tulka, Oklahoma-based Folds of Honor.
Folds of Honor is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of military members who have fallen or been disabled while serving in the United States Armed Forces.
Their educational scholarships support private school tuition or tutoring in grades K-12, as well as post-secondary tuition (two-or four-year college | university, technical or trade school.
Since its inception in 2007, Folds of Honor has awarded over 29,000 scholarships totaling over $145 million in all 50 states. Among the students served, 41 percent are minorities. It is rated a four-star charity by Charity Navigator and Platinum on GuideStar.
It was founded by Lt. Col. Dan Rooney, the only-ever F-16 fighter pilot and PGA Professional, who is currently stationed at Eglin AFB, Florida as a member of the 301st Fighter Squadron.
Dean and DLP Motorsports utilized a recent race bonus to pledge their donation to Folds of Honor.
At Orange County (N.C.) Speedway late this summer, officials from the Carolina Pro Late Model Series offered Dean and his Mooresville, N.C.-based DLP Motorsports team a challenge.
If Dean and the team would relinquish their starting position at the front of the field, start last and come back and win the event – the series would offer them a bonus for Dean’s fourth consecutive victory in the series and conquering the feat.
Of course, racers being racers, challenge accepted.
In typical Dean fashion in 2021, he wowed the crowd with his cautiously-aggressive driving style and bolted through the field to pick up the victory in his No. 57 DLP Motorsports Chevrolet.
“Anyone that knows me understands how much the people that serve this country mean to me,” said Dean.
“We talked about it at the race that night if we were able to get to Victory Lane, this money would not go back in our pockets, we would instead donate it to a place where we feel would benefit from the contribution.
“We did our homework and decided last month that we wanted to make our donation to Folds of Honor. They are a great organization with a lasting impact and we’re proud to make this donation on Veterans Day.
“I personally want to thank all of those in the past, present and future for their service in the Armed Forces. Thank you will never be enough.”
David “Buggy” Pletcher, owner of DLP Motorsports stands proudly alongside his driver in support of Folds of Honor.
“It’s because of Gus that we are able to make this donation,” added Pletcher. “Everyone at DLP Motorsports works hard to put competitive race cars on the track, but it’s talented drivers like Gus Dean who get the job done.
“Gus did amazing things with extraordinarily little experience in these cars and when the challenge was offered to us, we immediately accepted – because Gus knew we could accomplish the task and make an impact to others beyond our DLP Motorsports circle.
“We are happy and proud to make this donation to Folds of Honor and I make the pledge that we will continue to work with Gus on different avenues that we can make further donations to Folds of Honor and hopefully other military charities in the future.”
For more on Gus Dean, please visit GusDean.com, like him on Facebook (Gus Dean Racing) and follow him on Twitter (@GusDean).
For more information or to donate in support of a Folds of Honor scholarship visit foldsofhonor.org.
About Folds of Honor:
Folds of Honor is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of military members who have fallen or been disabled while serving in the United States Armed Forces.
Our educational scholarships support private school tuition or tutoring in grades K-12, as well as post-secondary tuition (two-or four-year college | university, technical or trade school.
Since its inception in 2007, Folds of Honor has awarded over 29,000 scholarships totaling over $145 million in all 50 states. Among the students served, 41 percent are minorities. It is rated a four-star charity by Charity Navigator and Platinum on GuideStar.
It was founded by Lt. Col. Dan Rooney, the only-ever F-16 fighter pilot and PGA Professional, who is currently stationed at Eglin AFB, Florida as a member of the 301st Fighter Squadron.
For more information or to donate in support of a Folds of Honor scholarship visit foldsofhonor.org.