Hundreds turn out to say goodbye to Jason Leffler

Keselowski charity awards grant to Operation North State

Published: December 23, 2012

2012 NASCAR champion, Brad Keselowski, and fellow driver Joey Logano talk during a break in testing tuesday morning. Keselowski and other drivers including Jeff Gordon, Logano, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. , and Casey Mears took advantage of dry and cool weather to test out the 2013 versions of their race cars at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Tuesday December 11, 2012. John D. Simmons - jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

JOHN D. SIMMONS — jsimmons@charlotteobserver.com

By Jim Utter — jutter@charlotteobserver.com

The Checkered Flag Foundation, a charity started by reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski, has awarded a $5,000 grant to Operation North State (ONS), a non-profit organization based in Winston-Salem, N.C., that provides numerous military support services to North Carolina’s deployed troops and veterans-in-need.

The $5,000 grant was one of four awarded by CFF this year.

Operation North State works on a large scale to ship care packages to deployed troops from North Carolina.

The Checkered Flag Foundation was incorporated in July 2010. The Foundation strives to support individuals who have sacrificed greatly for America, including military members, veterans, first-responders and their families, among others.

Utter: 704-358-5113; Twitter: @jim_utter