NASCAR driver Ryan Ellis partners with Kailee Mills Foundation to help save lives through seat belt awareness

THE WOODLANDS, TX – NASCAR Driver Ryan Ellis is proud to announce a partnership with the Kailee Mills Foundation at Circuit of the Americas on March 23. This partnership will help raise money and awareness for the foundation, whose mission is to reduce fatality and injury resulting from non-seat belt use through awareness, education, and community involvement.

The Kailee Mills Foundation began in November 2017 following Kailee’s crash. Kailee was riding with three friends, traveling only a mile from home. She removed her seat belt to take a photo with her friend in the backseat. In that short moment, the vehicle slid off the road on a curve, hit a culvert, and began to flip. Kailee was the only occupant not buckled and was killed instantly after being ejected. Too often, we hear stories about fatalities where someone was not wearing a seat belt.

The Kailee Mills Foundation also has its’ own scholarship program. The purpose of the Kailee Mills Foundation Scholarship Program is to educate teen drivers about seat belt safety through seat belt awareness, research, volunteerism, and leadership. Scholarship recipients exhibit high academic achievement, ambition, leadership, and a desire to make a difference. The Kailee Mills Foundation has awarded $191,000 in scholarships since 2020.

“I’m really proud to be partnering with the Kailee Mills Foundation,” said Ryan Ellis, driver of the No.43 Alpha Prime Racing Chevy. “Their mission is very close to my heart, having lost so many friends and family members to car accidents. And as a father of a young daughter, Kailee’s family’s story breaks my heart. I want to set a great example for my daughter Hayden so she, and anyone else in the vehicle with her in the future, stay safe. You never know when you’ll be involved in a collision, so you want to do all you can to put yourself and your passengers in as safe a position as possible by wearing your seat belt.”

“It is an honor to partner with NASCAR driver Ryan Ellis on this effort to raise awareness for seat belt safety. He, along with all NASCAR drivers, understands the importance of wearing a seat belt simply because it will save their life. It is just as important off the track, and we look forward to providing that reminder,” said Briana McCulloch, Executive Director of the Kailee Mills Foundation.

ABOUT THE KAILEE MILLS FOUNDATION

Our mission is to save and impact lives through seat belt awareness. From the beginning, we said that if we only saved ONE life, our efforts were worth it. We know we have fulfilled that goal, and we are working every day to save lives in memory of Kailee Mills.

To learn more about the Kailee Mills Foundation, visit https://www.kaileemillsfoundation.org/

ABOUT NASCAR DRIVER RYAN ELLIS

Ryan Ellis is a third-generation race car driver in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No.43 Chevy Camaro for Alpha Prime Racing.

Born in Torrance, CA, and spending most of his life in Ashburn/Fairfax, VA, he now resides just outside Charlotte, NC, with his wife Allison and daughter Hayden. He has been racing since the age of four, achieving multiple national championships and professional wins in his 30-year racing career. Ellis has raced in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series since 2012, with 2024 marking Ellis’ first-ever full-time season.