Earlier in 2025, CUBE 3 Architecture TA2 Series driver Bob Accardo teamed up with Guthrie’s Garage owner Jim Guthrie to drive the No. 39 Guthrie’s Garage/R.A.C.E. Marketing USA Ford Mustang for the remainder of the season. Guthrie’s support, coupled with Accardo’s 501(c)3 R.A.C.E. Marketing USA and a few local sponsors, allowed Accardo to bring a child and their family from the Make-A-Wish Foundation to a majority of the races on the 2025 schedule.
“It's an honor and privilege to share our passion of motorsports with some very amazing people, creating smiles and memories that will last a lifetime,” said Accardo.
Accardo began hosting guests from the Make-A-Wish Foundation at the 2024 season finale at Circuit of The Americas. He describes how he got involved with the organization.
“I had a random chance encounter with a family at the COTA race in 2023,” said Accardo. “A couple came by our hospitality area in the paddock with their 12-year-old son, who was handicapped. I spent a few minutes talking with the parents and asked the little boy if he wanted to sit in a racecar. He got very excited, so I put him in my car. I leaned in from the passenger side and started the engine. His eyes lit up as big as silver dollars, and when I looked over at his dad, I saw a tear running down his cheek. At that point, I had to put on my sunglasses and walk away for a second to gather my composure. The parents thanked me and told me that they hadn't seen their child smile like that in a very long time. It was then that I realized my actions had a direct and immediate impact.
“The experience made me remember a conversation I’d had some years ago with a friend of mine who is a wish grantor with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and it all began to come together. This epiphany that I had occurred all within thirty minutes of my initial contact with the family in Texas. I then spent the next year getting things set up, and it all culminated with us hosting a child named Jackson at COTA in 2024. The outpouring of support from my competitors, everyone at Trans Am, SVRA, and Nik Middleton with CUBE 3 was amazing.”
This season, Accardo hosted Make-A-Wish guests between the ages of five and 18, with a variety of medical conditions, and offered them a number of different opportunities curated for their age, personalities and physical limitations. Guests were introduced to drivers, sponsors and track executives in the paddock, given the opportunity to give the start engines command, ride in the pace car, watch races from VIP suites and present trophies on the podium.
“The entire experience is extremely humbling, and the strength of the kids is inspiring and nothing short of amazing. My goal, if we can keep this going, is to keep in contact with each of the families and invite them back every year, along with hosting a new family. This will create a network of support for each family at every track that we race at, and it will increase in size every year. I can't thank everyone enough who has helped to get me to this point. This is a huge collaborative effort that wouldn't be possible without the support of so many wonderful people,” concluded Accardo.
-Story by: Trans Am by Pirelli