Kurt Busch wins 2022 Pocono Spirit Award for his contribution to non-profit program that supports military service members and veterans

Kurt Busch’s exemplary work with the Veteran Ticket Foundation (Vet Tix), a non-profit program, has finally paid off. Busch was declared the winner of the National Motorsports Press Association's Pocono Spirit Award for the first quarter of 2022.

The 2004 Cup Series champion clinched the win following the NMPA membership vote. Following the win, Kurt Busch now qualifies for the end-of-year NMPA Pocono Spirit Awards.

The Veteran Ticket Foundation is a program that donates different tickets to military family members, veterans and those who lose their lives in the line of duty. Different donors donate tickets to the foundation and then those assigned redeem the tickets through the foundation’s website for free.

Kurt Busch has been a strong supporter of military service, and he got a chance to be part of the foundation in 2019. The 23XI driver has donated tickets to Cup Series races in the past, and this year, he donated 500 tickets to the Richmond Raceway on April 3rd.

The contribution was one of his highest, giving military members a chance to redeem up to four tickets for the event, giving 500 people free access to the event. Since the award is meant to honor an individual for his or her contribution to the sporting world, the NMPA also honored other motorsports members.

Some of the members who were honored include Martin Truex Jr. and his longtime girlfriend Sherry Pollex for the first edition of the Catwalk for a Cause in Daytona Beach. Rick Hendrick was also included in the list for his $302,000 donation towards Ukraine Relief via sponsorship of Hendrick Automotive Group.

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Kurt Busch was inspired by a fan to start an initiative for "Window of Hope."

Aside from the Vet Tix foundation, Kurt Busch has used his celebrity in recent years to make a positive difference in society. In 2019, he was inspired by a young fan whose mother was suffering from breast cancer. The young fan, who wrote a letter to Busch, asked him if he could do a window net in pink to send inspiration to those suffering from breast cancer.

Following the request, Busch launched an initiative by the name of "Window of Hope." The initiative called for Cup Series drivers to use a pink net on their car windows during the 2021 Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

After the race, the drivers signed the nets and were later put up for auction through the NASCAR Foundation. The proceeds from the initiative were later channeled to breast cancer research and treatment to help women suffering from breast cancer.