JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Veteran race car driver Hurley Haywood gets behind the wheel Saturday to join the fourth annual Highway to Help Heroes Charity Drive. The 2021 event will benefit injured and fallen officers through the Fraternal Order of Police Foundation’s Fallen Officer Welfare Relief Fund and military veterans through a partnership with K9s for Warriors, the nation’s largest provider of veteran service dogs.
Haywood, Jacksonville’s motorsport icon, will join as the lead driver on Saturday’s 45-mile course.
Recommended Videos
“I’m thrilled to lead the charge during this year’s Highway to Help Heroes event,” said Haywood, who was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2005. “It’s such a treat to join car enthusiasts from across Florida for this event to honor the work of our police force and military. I’m looking forward to participating.”
Highway to Help Heroes will kick off at the Ring Power Corporation headquarters located in St. Augustine, Florida with a morning meet and greet with K9s for Warriors veteran and service dog teams and officers. Supercar drivers will then depart from Ring Power to participate in the approximately 45-mile Charity Drive course, trailing parts of Florida’s historic A1A highway before concluding at downtown Jacksonville’s Cowford Chophouse for an exclusive Studio 54-themed event, complete with food, beverages and entertainment.
That police escort is going to cause some traffic issues along some major roadways in two counties starting around 10:15 a.m. Saturday. The drive begins at Ring Power on International Golf Parkway at I-95. They will drive north on I-95 to Country Road 210, then head east, where they’ll pass by the K9s for Warriors headquarters on Palm Valley Road. The route continues on Palm Valley Road until it turns north and connects with A1A, where they’ll head north through Ponte Vedra Beach to Jacksonville Beach, where they will take J. Turner Butler Boulevard west to I-95. They’ll continue north on I-95, exit toward Main Street and reach Cowford Chophouse, where they will attend a brunch party.
This event will bring nearly 100 supercars and drivers and over 500 attendees, all in an effort to support the officers and their families who have been impacted by injury and/or death and those who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. In addition, these officers will have the opportunity to join selected drivers on the drive as the “front seat rider.”
News4Jax meteorologist Richard Nunn will participate for the second year in a row.
Individuals interested in participating in the Charity Drive may register their personal luxury vehicle, or choose to sponsor a supercar before Saturday, May 22, 2021. Space is limited. Tickets to attend the post-event at Cowford Chophouse are available for purchase online.
To register or learn more about Highway to Help Heroes, visit highway2helpheroes.com. To learn more about becoming a corporate sponsor, visit highway2helpheroes.com/sponsorship.