The champion of last year’s NASCAR Cup Series will be in Iowa for Sunday’s race at the Iowa Speedway, but also to raise money for the Iowa chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association on Saturday night. Ryan Blaney, who drives the number-12 Mustang, will host “Dinner with the Champions” at the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum in Knoxville.

Established in 2018, the Ryan Blaney Family Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to supporting brain health causes, with a focus on Alzheimer’s disease and concussion.  The Blaney Family has many ties to not only dirt racing, but to Knoxville and Iowa. Ryan Blaney’s mother, Lisa, is a Chariton native, and Ryan’s father, Dave, won the Knoxville Nationals in 1997. Ryan’s uncle, Dale, competed in the Knoxville Nationals several times, and his grandfather, Lou, finished 4th in the Knoxville Nationals in 1974.

Zach Tomesch, News Director KFJB