Presentation of the NABC Recycled Ride® on January 8, 2026, took place at IGNITE Clubhouse in Davidson, NC, with Legendary NASCAR Crew Chief Ray Evernham
MEDIA NOTE: Photos and Video from the NABC Recycled Rides® presentation are available HERE
PORT CHARLOTTE, FL (January 8, 2026) – On Thursday, January 8, the IGNITE program, which provides support and services to young adults with Aspergers and autism was joined by NASCAR Hall of Fame crew chief Ray Evernham, to help kick the new year into gear with the donation of a beautifully refurbished vehicle to help them better serve their members.
The donation was made possible by the NABC Recycled Rides® program, vehicle donor Allstate and repair partner CARSTAR Auto Body of Cleveland, where it was refurbished by the technicians from the shop located in Cleveland, NC with support from the collision industry’s top suppliers and repair partners like LKQ and Capital Chrysler.
The IGNITE program is operated by the Autism Society of North Carolina. It was founded in 2012 with support from the Evernham Family-Racing for a Reason Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization started by Ray Evernham.
“The National Auto Body Council, CARSTAR and Allstate have gotten together to refurbish this vehicle and donate it to IGNITE,” said Ray Evernham on behalf of IGNITE. “This will be a great benefit for IGNITE. Not only will it help our members get to more activities, but it will also help create a lot of awareness for our cause. Autism is just something that needs a little more understanding.”
A 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee, donated by Allstate and refurbished by CARSTAR Auto Body Shop of Cleveland, was presented to IGNITE. IGNITE is a unique ‘peer-to-peer’ community center for young adults with high-functioning autism (HFA) or Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) offering activities, skills training, and educational workshops that foster social, financial, educational, and employment independence for its members. More importantly, IGNITE offers a social environment where members can connect with others and experience a sense of community. IGNITE’s membership-based community program is operated by the Autism Society of North Carolina with founding support from the Evernham Family-Racing for a Reason Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization started by legendary NASCAR Hall of Fame crew chief and team owner, Ray Evernham. Evernham retired from the sport with 60 wins and three NASCAR Cup Series championships as a crew chief and car owner for NASCAR legends Jeff Gordon and Bill Elliott, among others. This refurbished vehicle from the NABC Recycled Rides® program will assist IGNITE in enabling adults with high-functioning autism (HFA) or Asperger Syndrome (AS) to enjoy a better quality of life as valued members of the community in which they live and work.
“Getting this Jeep means we can go more places, even big trips because we will have two vehicles for the counselors to drive so we can get more members to where we’re going,” said IGNITE member, Paul Nestor.
“What this means to the guys in the shop that refurbished the vehicle is they can take pride in seeing the presentation of their work,” said Jason Zander, owner of 12 CARSTAR franchises. “It gives them a sense of accomplishment knowing that they’re not just doing their job every day, they are giving back to the community and a really good cause.”
Allstate, a Level One partner of the National Auto Body Council®, has donated more than 200 vehicles to people and organizations through the NABC Recycled Rides® program, making it one of the largest car donor partners of NABC Recycled Rides®.
CARSTAR is part of the Driven Brands family of automotive brands, a level one NABC member, and is an I-CAR Gold Certified network. CARSTAR Auto Body of Cleveland has refurbished and gifted a number of vehicles for people in need in North Carolina.
NABC Recycled Rides® is a unique program in which businesses representing all facets of the collision repair industry team up to repair and donate vehicles to individuals and families in need of reliable transportation. Since the inception of the NABC Recycled Rides® program in 2007, members of the National Auto Body Council® have donated more than 3,500 vehicles valued at some $51 million.
Additional partners in this presentation include: Capital Chrysler, Quality Auto Service, Wake Auto Trim, Precision Calibration, LKQ, All Star Auto Parts, Copart, Advanced Remarketing Services and Cars for Charity.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL AUTO BODY COUNCIL®
The National Auto Body Council® is the premier organization of collision industry partners dedicated to strategic networking opportunities that positively change lives in the communities we serve. The collaborative membership of the National Auto Body Council® has gifted more than 3,500 vehicles and provided extrication opportunities for some 6,000 First Responders in communities around the country through NABC Recycled Rides® and NABC First Responder Emergency Extrication (F.R.E.E.™). That effort equates to a 4:1 ROI in dollar value delivered from NABC® membership dollars.
The NABC Changing and Saving Lives Foundation, a 501c3 organization, is committed to the goal of driving change for veterans, military members, first responders and families in need, while harnessing the power of the collective membership of the collision repair industry to positively impact communities where we live and work. As demand for NABC® programs like NABC Recycled Rides® and NABC F.R.E.E.™ grows, so do the needs for resources to manage these important programs. Being able to pursue grants, gifts and donations allows NABC to expand these programs to serve those in need and help communities where we live and work. For more information, visit www.NationalautoBodyCouncil.org.