WASHINGTON, DC—AARP and AARP Foundation issued the following statement after Jeff Gordon, four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet SS, announced 2015 will be his final full-time season in the Cup Series. 

“By any measure, Jeff Gordon’s achievements in NASCAR are impressive, but there are other numbers that help fill out his accomplishments: since AARP and AARP Foundation launched Drive to End Hunger in 2011 with Hendrick Motorsports both team owner, Rick Hendrick and Jeff’s efforts have provided over 30 million meals to help the nearly 9 million older Americans who face the threat of hunger every day,” said AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins.  “We are looking forward to seeing Jeff take his next steps in reimagining his career while at the same time continuing to make a difference in the lives of others.”

AARP is a primary sponsor of the No. 24 team – the first cause-driven primary sponsorship in NASCAR.  This multiyear nationwide campaign raises awareness and funds about the problem of hunger among people 50+, and develops long-term, sustainable solutions to the hunger problem.

“Jeff Gordon has been honored for his philanthropic efforts and has had an extraordinarily exciting career, delivering on and off the track – in the fight against older adult hunger,” said AARP Foundation President Lisa Marsh Ryerson. “With the help of Jeff and the Hendrick Motorsports team, we have made, and will continue to make, the most of this unprecedented opportunity to support a social cause and lead the charge toward ending older adult hunger.”

For more information or to get involved, please visit www.DriveToEndHunger.org or follow @Drive2EndHunger .

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About AARP Foundation:

AARP Foundation is working to win back opportunity for struggling Americans 50+ by being a force for change on the most serious issues they face today: housing, hunger, income and isolation. By coordinating responses to these issues on all four fronts at once, and supporting them with vigorous legal advocacy, the Foundation serves the unique needs of those 50+ while working with local organizations nationwide to reach more people, strengthen communities, work more efficiently and make resources go further. AARP Foundation is AARP’s affiliated charity. Learn more at www.aarpfoundation.org.

CONTACT:
Charlotte Castillo, 202-434-2560, media@aarp.org