Early-Onset Alzheimers and Other Memory Robbing Diseases

Race cars are really fast billboards for corporate sponsors. But in 2017, Phil Frengs the founder of Racing to End Alzheimer’s, set out to prove that race cars can also serve a greater purpose; raising awareness for a crucial cause. Frengs first got involved with sports car racing in a more traditional way; his company Legistics, a U.S.-based business specializing in practice support for major legal firms, has been sponsoring an IMSA race car for years. When Phil’s wife Mimi was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, though, he began to look at those logo-covered race cars in a different way. “Mimi’s diagnosis made me think about a lot of things,” says Phil. “It seemed that to do nothing wasn’t an option, so, with racing as one of my passions, I felt that we could upset conventional thinking. A racecar as an advertising vehicle could be the perfect way to make a statement about Alzheimer’s.” But what if we replaced the corporate logos with the names and hometowns of people affected by the disease? For the first two seasons, Racing to End Alzheimer’s raised close to $150,000 via $250 donations that gave donors the chance to honor and remember their loved one for the last two races of the season. This year, instead of unveiling all the names at the end of the season, a name goes on the car as soon as the donation is made. “We make a difference a little at a time,” says Frengs. “Giving people the opportunity to express their love and to honor their spouse, their in-law, maybe their grandfather…For each participant, it’s a chance to make a small but meaningful contribution towards helping those impacted by Alzheimer’s. And by collaborating, matching partners are helping contribute needed funds to the herculean efforts our funding partners are making in the face of this ever-challenging brain disease. Using motorsports this way was my different take on what to do.”