Rush Stock Car racer Jeremy Zufall understands how lucky he is to race. He uses his race car as a platform to help non-profit organizations. Recently, he took up the cause Shop With A Cop of Westmoreland County in Pennsylvania.
“I have sponsors helping me, so why not pass it on?” said Zufall, 38, of Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania. “If somebody helps you, try to help somebody else.”
Previously, Zufall worked with Children’s Dream Racer. That cause brings a child-size, replica stock car, which is outfitted with a flatscreen TV and Playstation, to children’s hospitals. Zufall, in conjunction with the Jacob Lewis Memorial Fund and his then-sponsor Joy Global (now called Komatsu Mining Corp.), helped bring a Children’s Dream Racer vehicle to Akron’s Children Hospital in Ohio.
These days, Zufall actively supports Shop With A Cop of Westmoreland County. Just before Christmas, children who were a victim of a crime or other unfortunate circumstance shop a local Walmart with a local officer from the Pennsylvania State Police. The kids don’t only buy toys, but often purchase clothing or food, according to Zufall. He said that with the recent events in the past year or so, he wanted to help show a different side of the police and the underprivileged kids they shop with.
“Don’t stereotype cops one way or another,” Zufall, who works in maintenance for Norfolk Southern, said. “There are a lot of cops trying to do good, and trying to be good for kids. Just because you come from a bad family or a victim of a crime, there are still people that care about you.”
His sponsor, EcoTwist Clean, backs his cause.
“EcoTwist Clean signed on to give $100 [to Shop With A Cop of Westmoreland County] for every race I win,” said Zufall. “If I win a championship, they’re going to donate an extra $1,000.”
Jeremy Zufall races mostly at Dog Hollow Speedway in Northern Cambria, Pennsylvania, where he currently sits second in the point standings. So far, he has collected six wins at Dog Hollow Speedway and one more at Eriez Speedway in Erie, Pennsylvania. However, more important than his on-track performance, Zufall hopes his charitable efforts serve as a model for others to follow.
“It’s something good for my kids to learn,” Zufall, a father of three, said of the causes he helps. “If you’re blessed enough to have help, you can help someone else out. You don’t have to do it, but it speaks volumes of your character if you do.”
The Outside Groove Executive Editor has covered motorsports since 2000. His many awards include the 2019 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Jim Hunter Writer of the Year and the 2013 Russ Catlin Award for Excellence in Motorsports Journalism.
