AKRON, Ohio — A race car designed to showcase the LeBron James Family Foundation, driven by NASCAR driver Chris Buescher of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, will debut in August at Michigan International Speedway for the NASCAR Cup Series Race.

Buescher’s No. 17 Ford Mustang will be emblazoned with the foundation’s green and gold colors, and feature the foundation’s signature crown logo. The race car will display the words “I Promise” in large block letters, and the phrase “est Akron,” where James grew up and launched the I Promise School and program.

Printed across the rear of the vehicle will be “We Are Family,” representing the foundation’s primary philosophy.

What You Need To Know

  • A race car showcasing the LeBron James Family Foundation will debut at Michigan International Speedway for the NASCAR Cup Series

  • The No. 17 Ford Mustang will be driven by NASCAR driver Chris Buescher of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing

  • The vehicle will be emblazoned with the foundation’s green and gold colors, its signature crown logo and the words “I Promise”

  • The partnership with RFK Racing will expose I Promise students to the sport of auto racing

Since its inception, the foundation has entered into an array of partnerships with organizations that offer educational and healthful services and experiences to I Promise Program students and families, and to the Akron community.  

The new partnership with RFK Racing will expose I Promise students and families to exciting new possibilities, LJFF Executive Director Michele Campbell said in a release.

“To see our foundation represented alongside one of the most iconic racing teams in NASCAR shows our kids from Akron that anything is possible and nothing is out of reach for them,” Campbell said.

The partnership with RFK Racing stems from James’ minority ownership of Fenway Sports Group, which is a parent company of RFK Racing, the foundation said.

To have a race car representing the foundation on the NASCAR track can connect I Promise students with the sport of auto racing, said Fenway Sports Group Chairman Tom Werner.

“We hope this special relationship with RFK Racing will provide these talented students with an understanding of all the opportunities available to them as they contemplate their bright future,” Werner said.

The foundation’s I Promise Program launched in 2011, with the I Promise School opening its doors in 2018 as part of the Akron Public Schools ​District.

The school uses specialized programming to promote social-emotional learning and focuses on both academics and character building while offering students and their families a roster of support services.

Since the school’s opening, the foundation has launched several other facilities that dovetail with the I Promise Program’s “We Are Family” philosophy.

House Three Thirty, a multi-use complex that opened this year, is planned to extend programming for the I Promise Program and offer opportunity and entertainment for the community. House Three Thirty outside is just two blocks from the I Promise School, which is near downtown Akron.

The facilities are in close proximity to the I Promise Village, which provides transitional housing for I Promise families dealing with homelessness.

All graduating I Promise School students are eligible for the Zips Promise Scholarship, which will cover tuition, housing and meals for up to four years of study at the University of Akron. To earn the scholarship, students must meet academic goals and community service requirements.

In June, the foundation announced its I Promise HealthQuarters, planned to open in 2023, which is a primary care health center housing an array of services for I Promise program students and families, and the Akron community.

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