MIAMI, FL - Racing for Kids representatives Tony Kanaan and Daniel Herrington brightened up the day of young patients being treated at Miami Children’s Hospital with a special visit on October 8, 2009. The IndyCar® and Indy Lights Series drivers visited the patients and their families and handed out baseball caps and miniature race car toys. They also signed autographs and posed for photos with the children. Dr. William Pinsky, the Racing for Kids founder, joined them during the visit. Much to the surprise of the children, the Racing For Kids Showcar make a pit stop at the hospital.
Tony Kanaan who lives in Miami and drives the # 11 car for Andretti Green Racing became the first driver in major auto racing history to complete every lap of every race for the entire season on his way to winning the 2004 IndyCar Series title. In 2008, he won at Richmond and came in third in the IndyCar Series standings. A native of Brazil, Kanaan is an accomplished triathlete who enjoys bicycling, go-karting and watersports. He speaks English, Portuguese and Italian.
Daniel Herrington, who drives the #28 car for LeBleu/Bryan Herta Autosports, graduated Magna Cum Laude from North Carolina State University in May 2009 with a degree in mechanical engineering. In 2008 he competed in eight Firestone Indy Lights races with four top 10 finishes. This race season he has competed in 14 races, with one win – at Chicagoland Speedway, two-top 5 finishes and twelve top-10 finishes.
ABOUT MCH
Founded in 1950 by Variety Clubs International, Miami Children's Hospital® is South Florida’s only licensed specialty hospital exclusively for children, with more than 650 attending physicians and over 130 pediatric sub-specialists. The 289-bed hospital is renowned for excellence in all aspects of pediatric medicine with several specialty programs ranked among the best in the nation in 2008 and 2009 by U.S.News & World Report. The hospital is also home to the largest pediatric teaching program in the southeastern United States and has been designated an American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Magnet facility, the nursing profession’s most prestigious institutional honor.
ABOUT RACING FOR KIDS
Racing For Kids, a Detroit-based national charity founded in 1989, uses the increasing popularity of motorsports to focus public awareness and funding on the health care needs of children. Racing For Kids celebrity racecar drivers have visited nearly 20,000 children in more than 450 children’s hospitals in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan and Australia. The charity has raised $5 million for the hospitals visited and for children’s health institutions across the country. Racing For Kids is celebrating its 20th Anniversary in 2009. For additional information go to www.racingforkids.org.