While Safety Drive 2026 featured a collection of past National Champions, State TDC Champions and no less than four past NTDC Grand Champions testing their knowledge and skills, the competition that took place at the UPS Smart Hub in Atlanta was a distant second to the primary mission of Safety Drive. The record field of competitors, with over 250 professional drivers, joined with the volunteers, the sponsors and other friends of Safety Drive to raise $75,548 that goes directly to support the work of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. The money raised to date for Safety Drive 2026 represents a single-year record amount in the 15-year history of the event.

During this episode of the podcast, you will meet Alissa Karas, who is a Director in the Fund-Raising Department at the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. Alissa serves as the lead liaison between the Foundation and the Safety Drive Organizing Committee that is led by America’s Road Team Captain Herschel Evans. As our podcast listeners know, it was Herschel who has been the driving force behind launching and growing Safety Drive into a premiere NTDC-style event that has now raised over $491,000 for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation over Safety Drive’s 15-year history. 

As you’ll hear in our conversation with her on Safety Drive Saturday, Alissa has a deep appreciation for the dedication of the nation’s professional drivers and the giving spirit that lives within the people of the trucking industry.

SAFETY DRIVE is still accepting donations as the event’s organizers, volunteers and participants continue to work to drive their all-time fundraising total for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation to the $500,000 mark. If you would like to make a donation to Safety Drive, please click here.

FRIEND OF THE PODCAST SPONSOR:  The Lutzie 43 Foundation is our Friend of the Podcast for this episode of the NTDC 2026 Series. Founded to honor the legacy of Philip Lutzenkirchen, the Lutzie 43 Foundation is dedicated to make sure that the tragedy that took his life would never have to be repeated. Philip was a standout athlete, a beloved teammate, and a man of tremendous character. Today, the foundation that carries his name is working to change the driving culture across the Southeast and beyond by tackling distracted driving, impaired driving, and unsafe habits behind the wheel. To learn more about the Lutzie 43 Foundation and how you can use 43 Key Seconds to run through an important safety checklist before starting your vehicle, visit Lutzie43.org.

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