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One thing that no one can say about the drivers in the Verizon IndyCar series is that they are not a giving and caring lot. Several drivers lend their names to causes. Some do it because a cause may be tied to a sponsor. Others do it out of the goodness of their own heart. Some have even brought a personal cause into the racing arena.

We have just seen the unveiling of the 2016 IndyCar schedule, so we now know what the racing landscape will look like next year. We know that the sports landscape will feature the Summer Olympics. Aside from sports, next year looks to be a very divisive year as it will be a presidential election year. Those are always interesting because close friends can become bitter enemies when they realize that their politics are clashing.

Regardless of your political leanings, your religious beliefs or even what nationality you’ll be pulling for in the Olympics – we now have a cause within the IndyCar community, where we can all put our political and cultural differences aside in order to come together and unite in support of this great cause.

Nashville native Josef Newgarden is spearheading this noble effort for the betterment of all mankind, and has even launched a video proclaiming his support for this effort that we will all benefit from.

In the world of charitable causes, there are talkers and there are doers. Some talk the talk, while far fewer actually walk the walk. Rather than allowing his name and face to be used in some gratuitous photo op touring a hospital or disaster scene, Newgarden is putting his money where his mouth is. He has thrown himself headfirst into this worthwhile cause, so much so that it seems to be his mission in life. Many drivers would do well to take note of Newgarden’s selfless attitude and passion with this cause.

In an effort that would make the former Mrs. Dario Franchitti proud, Newgarden has taken it upon himself to serve as an advocate in an important topic that benefits all.

So what is this cause that has affected Josef Newgarden so much that it has forced him to take such a visible and prominent role? It’s called #Shirts4Sage.

Newgarden is justifiably concerned that fellow IndyCar driver Sage Karam is unable to keep a shirt on his back for a variety of reasons. Many pictures have surfaced on social media where Karam is inexplicably shirtless, or at best – found in shirts that have no sleeves.

No one knows what has caused this phenomenon, but Newgarden is not leaving this to others to solve. He has personally challenged everyone to help get to the bottom of this and rid the internet and the world of these frightening and disturbing scenes. Newgarden has taken up the gauntlet to lead the charge to make sure that Karam is properly attired from this point forward. He has set up donation networks throughout the world for either cash donations or actual shirts. You can credit Newgarden for being the source for such an overwhelming response.

Not only have large sums of cash been raised, but the outpouring of shirts has been surprising and unsurpassed. Just this week, truckloads of T-shirts proclaiming the Cubs as 2015 National League Pennant Winners arrived. A couple of weeks ago, they received a shipment of “Jimmie Johnson: 2015 Sprint Cup Champion” T-shirts. It remains to be seen whether or not they will be the recipients of shirts that read “Indianapolis Colts: 2015 AFC South Champions”. But if the Colts win that division at 6-10, they still may still get a large shipment of those unclaimed or unwanted shirts.

I seldom ask readers of this site to donate money to a cause, but I will make an exception in this case – it’s that important. Once Sage Karam is able to keep a shirt on for the many photos he posts, the internet will be a better place.

I’ve included the following video from Josef Newgarden pleading for your help. Please consider a donation of any type to help further this cause. Thank you in advance.

George Phillips

This entry was posted on October 30, 2015 at 4:04 am and is filed under IndyCar. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.