Drive for diabetes awareness, Inc Drivers

Hi, my name is Lacy Kuehl. I have been racing flat Karts since 2014. I race for Diabetic Ketoacidosis survivors and for people that have 

passed away from Diabetic Ketoacidosis and support ones that suffer from diabetes.  

I have raced in Dirt Oval, Asphalt Oval, Road racing and, now Legend Cars.

 In 2010 my baby brother Rocco lost his life to DKA  ( Diabetic Ketoacidosis) 2 weeks after his first birthday due to being misdiagnosed with a virus. Diabetes doesn't run in my family, my parents have heard of it but they had no idea of how serious it was. Losing my brother was devastating to our family and it is now my mission to make sure parents and children all over the world know the symptoms and what to look for so that a diagnosis can be made sooner. No parent should have to lose a child from diabetes and a child shouldn't have to lose a parent from diabetes. My passion for racing started in 2013 when I met a driver who was diagnosed with diabetes when he was 17 years old. Doctors told him that he would never race again but he was determined to prove them wrong and he did.   My inspiration came from the Venturini's who invited us to Daytona. The driver does not support our charity and never has which I don't understand. :(My passion and drive come from those that I race for so to get more attention to Diabetes Awareness we got a dog. Some don't like racing but they might LOVE Dogs.     In June 2018, we introduced a new member to our Drive For Diabetes Awareness Charity KETONE our working dog. He is a 3-month-old German shepherd puppy named Ketone. You're probably wondering Why Ketone? Well, we named him after the word Diabetic Ketoacidosis ( ketones are what produce the fruity smell of the breath of people that are in DKA ) which is a symptom. We plan to train Ketone to be a Diabetic Service Dog so that he will be able to detect the fruity smell from the ketones we also have him walk around with brochures from my races and share education about the symptoms.     In 2018 I raced for a little girl named Addie Parker. She sadly lost her life from DKA in 2011 just 5 weeks before her 5th birthday she even saved 40 other children's lives which to me is just amazing. Her story touched me they all do but this story was inspiring. Unfortunately, their stories are not hard to find.  Type one diabetes is becoming an epidemic. It breaks my heart when I see another child taken from us knowing the pain the other families are feeling. When I drive for someone I want to make them feel good and let them know that they are not alone in this world and that if You want to do something that you love that you can still do it. When I race for them I send them video messages and make a big announcement on my Facebook, Youtube  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKM6BZzyDlA02SrIhHT4mTQ , Instagram, and Twitter pages. I also put their story on our website page www.DFDA.info and send them a gift in the mail that includes a Drive for Diabetes Awareness Shirt, Hat, Stress balls and 2-4 brochures for the race that I am in.    When Addie passed away her mom and dad donated her organs and tissue to kids in need and she saved 40 other people's life's which is amazing. when I now race Addie's name will forever be on my kart along with my brother Rocco's. I am proud not only to spread the Awareness of Diabetes and its symptoms but the importance of an organ donor.    Thank you for taking the time to read about what I do, and the reason why I do it. Thank you, mom and dad, for all the support over the years and everyone that has helped me over the years. I will continue to Dive for Diabetes Awareness with my passion and determination. Please memorize and share the symptoms with your friends and family it could help save the life of a loved one. Sincerely, Lacy Kuehl                                                                                                                                 In memory of Rocco Cole Kuehl Career Highlights 2017 Lacy (Cool) Kuehl Interview at Inverness, FL for the Inverness Grand Prix   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHvR_Z7CbZ0 Lacy (Cool) Kuehl has been racing since the Summer of 2014 with over 200 races on Dirt, Asphalt, and Road. Racing in State Dirt oval series and State Asphalt series and The Legends car with NASCAR Drive for Diversity Youth Program   2014 Started her charity Drive for Diabetes Awareness, Inc http://www.DFDA.info 2014-  Lacy has raced for over 10 Diabetic Ketoacidosis Survivors and many that have passed including her brother her HERO Rocco. Just ask her who her hero is.   First, Win Asphalt oval  2014 Rookie. Ambassador Racing School, FL   First, Win Dirt oval 2014  Florida Dirt Motor Speedway, FL  First, Win Road 2017 Inverness Grand Prix, FL.   2017 Inverness Grand Prix award for Sportsmanship   2018  First double starting at 7 am in  Inverness, FL Road placing 2nd and later that day two races on Dirt oval placing 2nd and 3rd.   2018 3rd in points at Florida Dirt Motor Speedway, Land O' Lakes, FL  2018 Received a plaque from The Villages Motorsports fan Club for her advocacy for Diabetes Awareness and Motorsports. Honoring her as an Ambassador for Motorsports and Humanity. 
2019 Hard Charger for the Fall in the Brawl premier Dirt race at Florida Dirt Motor Speedway with 22 karts in her Jr2 class starting in 19th and finishing 6th.
2019 Chosen for NASCAR Drive for Diversity Youth Development program. Age 12 NASCAR'S youngest signed development Driver. Finished in 2nd place in the youth Combine at the GoPro Motorplex in NC
2019 Young Racer Award for the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Awards. Presented at the NASCAR Hall of Fame on May 23, 2019 
2019 US Legend Cars at the 26th Annual Bojangles Summer Shootout 10 races at Charlotte Motor Speedway.  
Youngest driver at age 12 in Young Lions Division.  Finishing 16 of 30. In points
Best finish 10th of 26 Young Lions.
Best time on track at 17.62  

2022 First Career WIN in a Legends car. 2.26.22 Auburndale Speedway 

2022 Inducted into The Villages Racing Fan Club HALL OF FAME

Brandon Murray IRACING Driver for Drive For Diabetes Awareness family. Joining in March of 2020.

 Brandon is an iRacer on Iracing.com looking to make it to the top tier of oval racing, the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series.

Brandon grew up in Birmingham, Alabama in a great family. In 2010, he moved to Panama City Beach, Florida, where he lives now. In school, he was a two-sport athlete. He played football and won a state championship in weightlifting. But there was always one thing he wanted to do more than anything, and that was to race. Brandon has always had a love for racing. As a kid, he and his dad would regularly attend the NASCAR races at Talladega Superspeedway. Racing is something that he has been passionate about, but never had the means to do it, until he found iRacing.

For those who aren’t familiar with iRacing, it is the worlds number one racing simulator, and has everything from GT Racing, to F1, IndyCar, and NASCAR.

When asked why he decided to go iRacing, Brandon said “It’s the closest that I can get to really getting in a car and racing on these tracks. It’s not the real thing, but it is as close as I can get and I love it. It’s a ton of fun to be able and go out and compete.”

We also asked him why he Drives for Diabetes Awareness. Here is what he said, “In May of 2017, I lost my childhood best friend, Carlie, in part to Type 1 diabetes. She was such an amazing person and a great friend. One of those friendships that you have where you can not talk for a few months and pick up like nothing ever happened. We went to school together from pre-k up until I moved away, but we were always in touch and friends. I do this to honor her, and to bring awareness to diabetes. Also, in 2008, I lost my grandfather, Frank, in part to diabetes. He was a hero to me. A sheriff’s deputy in Alabama for 35 years. For the longest time, I wanted to be a cop just like him. I do this to honor him. It’s extremely important to me that people be checked for diabetes, especially if they have risk factors and a family history of it. I believe that together, we can raise awareness and save lives.”

When asked if he had anything else to say to people who read this, he had this simple message, “Love each other. We are stronger when we are united, not when we’re divided.”