Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. and the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) team came together to mark Mental Health Awareness Week in Charlotte, North Carolina, October 7 and 8, 2017.
The collaboration included a panel discussion on stress management, mental illness and the importance of monitoring mental health attended by Mental Health America President and CEO Paul Gionfriddo.
In the United States, NASCAR is the country’s most popular sport, behind American football, in terms of television and live viewership. Fans are drawn to the intense excitement of watching cars race around the circuit at speeds in excess of 300 km/h (220 mph), sometimes with only inches separating them. Thrills and accidents are commonplace. There are few people in the world more accustomed to dealing with the acute pressure and stress of the racetrack than racing drivers.
The event coincided with two days of racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. The Otsuka logo present on competing CGR cars. After a day of waiting for the rain to stop and the track to dry, fans watched as driver Alex Bowman took the checkered flag with his first-ever victory in a NASCAR XFINITY Series race and brought our Otsuka logo.
“Overall, it was a great weekend for Otsuka and the mental health community,” said Kabir Nath, president and CEO of Otsuka America Inc.’s North American pharmaceutical business.
“It has been an honor to collaborate with Chip Ganassi Racing and Mental Health America to advocate for mental wellness. We are excited to have the opportunity to reach NASCAR fans and have them join us in our efforts to help raise awareness while reducing the stigma of mental illness.”
