Hey guys! That was a tough Cup race yesterday. All we can do is move on to the next one and keep pushing. The Chase is not over yet and we are still in it. Winning the Xfinity race was a good way to end the day though! Having the week at home gave us and our race team a time to breathe, recharge batteries, and get ready to take on the next feat. We are headed to the land of Dorothy and Toto (Kansas), and we could not be more ready!
This week, as we get closer to the end of the season and to the championship, the discussion of “what makes a championship race team” comes up a lot. A huge factor is the mental state of your team in times of pressure. Every athlete in a sport with some sort of playoff structure has to deal with the potential of mental hiccups. During these times, your mind is telling you that you can’t do something, that you’re not good enough. The very best athletes can quiet these thoughts of doubt and fear. We want to be known as a team and group of athletes that can excel during the times where most falter. It is exciting and scary to think that our minds can be the difference between a loss and a trophy.
The pressures we face as a championship race team are like many of the pressures we feel in everyday life. The pressure to be flawless, to not make mistakes, to communicate and excel in what we are trying to accomplish. The difference is, faltering under pressure in life doesn’t just cost you a trophy. It can cost you relationships, success at work, confidence etc… Pressure can make you self-centered. It can make the problems in your life feel more weighted than anyone else’s. Brittany and I always try to take a deep breath when the pressures of work and life get to us. We put our pressures into perspective. It doesn’t take long to realize the pressures of a single mother, our service men and women or a family trying to find their next meal can make yours look miniscule.
This Week’s Cause: Healthcare
This week, we are focusing on the struggle of basic healthcare. The Healthcare crisis in this country is just that- a crisis. According to the PBS website nearly 44 million Americans lack health insurance. Another 38 million Americans do not have adequate health insurance. That is nearly 1/3 of our country that struggles with the fear of not knowing what to do if a medical mishap struck their lives. Many of these Americans tend to go to the emergency room for simple antibiotics. They wait many hours just to heal their strep throat or a common ear infection because they cannot afford to go to a primary doctor. An organization called Central Plains Health Care Partnership in Kansas has created a program to assist these individuals in the Wichita KS area.
This Week’s Joey Logano Foundation Chasing Second Chances Non-Profit Partner: Central Plains Health Care Partnership
In 1998 nearly 50,000 people were uninsured in the Wichita Kansas area. A cardiothoracic surgeon took it upon himself to begin a program in his city to change that. Through his efforts, Project Access was born. This project connects people in need of healthcare with those that provide it. Many doctors and specialists agreed to take part in the initiative and strides have been made. Emergency room visits went down by 53% in the city. The state of Kansas also saw a $5.5 million dollar reduction in claims. This proves that a proactive health program can save money. People in that city can get much needed healthcare when they need it, and they do not have to postpone their visits until a sickness becomes too severe.
This program gives individuals and their families a chance to stay healthy and stay in the workforce. We learned that 8 out of 10 of the individuals without healthcare in America are employed. That means hardworking Americans are unable to afford something so vital to their health and economic future.
We see this as an organization that represents the epitome of change and progress, and we are proud to support their efforts. There are so many struggles in life, trying to stay healthy should not be one of them.
