Our team is not only passionate about racing—we band together to carry a positive message to others who struggle with cancer. We aim to educate and support the community by sharing our stories and inspiring others to live the best life possible.
Our Mission:
To inspire others to rally as a team to fight cancer and demonstrate how teamwork and support help cancer survivors make the most of their lives.
LEARN MOREWe use the racing aspect of our lives to give others hope that almost anything is achievable with the proper effort and support.
We will be visiting hospitals and patients, inviting patients to visit us at our racing events, as well as making inspirational videos of our efforts to support those who cannot visit us or leave their hospital environment.
Words we live by:
Fight Like a Boss
Never, NEVER Give Up
Go with Plan A
This means there is no Plan B!
Seize the Day!
Live Life to the Fullest, Daily
JR SMITH
“Fight Like A Boss”
JR has spent most of his life coaching and helping others. Little did he know that he would eventually need to do that for himself.
The morning after challenging a bike ride (May 2019), JR struggled to get out of bed because of severe pain in his hip and knee. After visiting an orthopedic surgeon and starting physical therapy, there was no improvement. He had an MRI that summer and learned that he had cancer in his hip, ribs, and femur; then shortly after, he was also diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer. JR immediately underwent surgery at Huntsman Cancer Institute, plating his hip, replacing his hip joint, and having a metal rod placed down his leg to support his femur. After chemotherapy and radiation treatment, he began rigorous physical therapy to regain enough strength and flexibility to get back into his racecar. In February 2020, he entered his first car race since his diagnosis, finishing P4 overall in race 1, and P2 overall in race 2 against a field of faster cars.
JR draws inspiration from his fellow teammates to “Fight Like A Boss” every day. No matter how tough the road gets, you will still see JR racing on it!
JR has competed in a variety of racing sports since he was a teenager, including off road and road motorcycles, fuel dragsters, power boats, sailboats, road race cars and bicycles. He has been Regional SCCA and NASA class champion as well as NASA National Champion. He is a licensed PCA driving instructor as well as an instructor at Ford Performance Racing School. He has been a competitive runner, ski racer and cyclist.
JR has coached and trained National and World Champions, a successful Mt. Everest climber, and drivers who have competed in NASCAR Series and 24 Hour of LeMans competitions. He will be competing with Team Fight Cancer in a Ford Mustang in NASA, SCCA, SVRA and HSR races.
DONNY EDWARDS
“Going With Plan A”
If you look up the word “tenacity” in the dictionary you will see a picture of Donny Edwards—driving like a maniac. His life projects an image of hard work and survivorship, whether it’s working on his family farm, driving a racecar, or fighting a tough disease.
In 2018, Donny was diagnosed with Stage 4 lymphatic cancer and was hospitalized for almost 6 months. Only 10 weeks after being released from continuous grueling chemotherapy treatments, he joined his team to compete in the 25 hours of Thunderhill race. His cancer is in remission today, and he divides his time between instructing, racing with Team Fight Cancer, hanging out with cows, and enjoying his time off with his partner Micah.
Donny’s philosophy of life is to live it to the fullest every day!
Donny has been racing for over 20 years. He has won more races than we can list here. He has won the 12 and 25 hour of Thunderhill endurance races, has competed in the classic 24 hours of LeMans, the NASA Super Unlimited championship, has been GTI Cup season champion, Pro7 Series season champion, the Pro MINT 400 off road class winner, as well as winning the US Touring Car Championship. He is also the NASA National Race License Director, as well as an instructor at Ford Performance Racing School.
And he is also the only person to ever complete the 25 hours of Thunderhill endurance Race—solo (no co-drivers). During the off-season, he is the ranch foreman at a cattle ranch in California. Donny with be competing with Team Fight Cancer at NASA racing events.
GEORGE SMITH
“Never Give Up”
George has been blessed with good health his entire life, and has been participating in sports car racing for more than 30 years. However, in 2018, he was diagnosed with inoperable advanced throat cancer. While the diagnosis was not favorable, he still went through six weeks of chemotherapy and radiation treatments at the Huntsman Cancer Center. Miraculously, the team at the Huntsman Cancer Center was able to destroy the cancer, and George has been able to return to a full life—including enjoying his passion of sports car racing.
George and his wife Roxanne are deeply grateful to the doctors and nurses at the Huntsman Center for their skill and compassion during his cancer treatment and recovery.
They are truly champions.
George has been involved in time trials and wheel to wheel racing for more than 30 years, racing primarily Corvettes in SCCA and NASA competition. He has more than 70 class wins, and 28 overall wins racing three generations of Corvette racecars. His most notable wins have been NASA Super Touring ST-1 National Championships in 2010 and 2013, and a runner up finish in 2017.
In addition to the NASA wins, George has won the Utah Grand Prix Invitational race twice, the Viper Racing League Utah Championship in 2010, and he competed in the 2010 Utah Trans-Am pro race where he finished in the top 10. George currently drives the Whelen Engineering Livery C6 Corvette, formerly piloted by Eric Curran and Boris Said. George will be racing with Team Fight Cancer in Classic HSR and SVRA races throughout the 2020 season.
Travis Carpenter
Crew Chief /Future Driver
“More Not Less”
J.R. Smith Racing is excited to have Travis join Team Fight CANCER! Travis was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis (NF) early in life and had his entire leg amputated and donated to medical research--but that has not slowed him down. He has an amazing attitude and passion for all sports, especially race cars. Travis has been immersed in the motorsports world for years including collaboration with NASCAR’s David Ragan as a Shriners Children’s Patient Ambassador, serving as an honorary crew member supporting Bridget Burgess in the pits of the 2022 season ending ARCA West Series race, and being the child representative for Children’s Tumor Foundation (CTF) when Jeffrey Owen Hanson won the NASCAR Foundation’s Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award. Travis is learning to drive, but has already enjoyed time in karts, hours of playing various racing games on Xbox, and hot laps with renowned race car drivers.
Beyond racing, Travis enjoys adaptive downhill skiing in Park City, playing wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis, sled hockey and Miracle League baseball.
Travis has not let NF slow him down, and he has embraced helping others in many ways. Travis has enrolled in numerous clinical drug trials in search for a cure for NF and potentially other cancers, including the recent successful trial for now FDA-approved drug Koselugo (selumetinib). Travis lives by the belief that “more, not less” has given him the freedom to live his life with one leg. We are grateful to have such an inspirational young man on board with Team Fight CANCER!
We thank the teams* at Huntsman Cancer Institute and Primary Children’s Hospital for their expertise, efforts, support which help each of us as we strive to live life to the fullest. (*including Surgical, Radiology, Oncology and Medical staffs)
TENTATIVE 2023 RACE SCHEDULE
SVRA SPEEDTOUR/TRANS AM SPEEDFEST
- 3/3 – 3/5 Thunderhill Speedtour
- 4/27 – 4/30 Sonoma Speedtour
- 5/4 – 5/7 Laguna Seca Trans Am Speedfest
- 6/9 – 6/11 The Ridge Speedtour
- 6/15 – 6/18 Indy Speedtour
- 7/21 – 7/23 Portland Speedtour
- 10/20 – 10/22 Spring Mountain Speedtour
- 11/2 – 11/5 Austin Speedtour
