Third annual event raises over $200,000 for Kannapolis YMCA and Samaritan’s Feet

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – Corey LaJoie’s annual Kickball Klassic presented by Celsius and Built cemented itself as a staple of the area’s festivities for the yearly NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series fall races last Thursday, with the third iteration of the annual event raising over $200,000 for the Kannapolis YMCA and Samaritan’s Feet.

16 teams competed across a multitude of fields at Atrium Health Ballpark and in front of Kannapolis’ City Hall, with field sponsors such as Boston Reid, Thermal Controls, Weaver and Audio Visual Specialists assisting in the creation of the kickball diamonds.

"Once a year we get to combine some of my favorite things, racing, charity, rivals, family, friends, partners, competition, and kickball in Kannapolis,” said Corey LaJoie, driver of the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet. “The Kickball Klassic continues to grow exponentially every year and benefit some tremendous causes along the way."

The teams battled in high-octane kickball action during the day, with David Hoffman Realty knocking out Team Clean Juice to take home the victory in the day’s competition.

Throughout the day, 96 total home runs were kicked. For each home run, Blue Green Vacations will be donating Team NEGU Joy Jars to children battling cancer following the event for every home run kicked in the event.

"It is an incredible opportunity to host an event of this caliber at Atrium Health Ballpark," said Vince Marcucci, Chief Revenue Officer of Temerity Baseball. "Our team's mission has always been to be more than a venue for baseball games and to make a larger impact in our community. Collaborating with Corey, his team, and the Kannapolis YMCA to put on an event of this magnitude and generate over $200,000 for community organizations checks all of the boxes for what we set out to accomplish with our transition to Atrium Health Ballpark in Downtown Kannapolis. We look forward to continuing to host this event and helping to grow it each year."

After the round robin-style tournament completed, celebrity teams of top NASCAR talent along with local and national celebrities comprised the evening’s competition of two semi-final games and a final championship. Celsius, Built, Clean Juice and Sheets Laundry Club all created rosters for the celebrity bracket.

Two semi-final games comprised the first half of the celebrity action, followed by a main-stage final showdown of Team Celsius and Team Sheets Laundry Club. After the two sides fought in a close game, an extra-innings walk-off gave Team Celsius the victory in the celebrity bracket, concluding the day’s kickball competition.

The night concluded with a stunning fireworks display presented by Schluter Systems to put a cap on an action-packed day in Kannapolis that raised over $200,000 for the Kannapolis YMCA and Samaritan’s Feet.

"The YMCA is so thankful to Corey LaJoie and all of the collaborators and sponsors that make this event possible," said Philip Belfield, Kannapolis YMCA's Executive Director. "In the end, this event is vital to the YMCA to serve more families in our area, which in turn strengthens our community. The YMCA does not turn anyone away from programs like summer camp, swim lessons and family events. As an example, the Y provides Christmas gifts and fresh produce to families in need. The Kannapolis YMCA also provides $200,000 of financial assistance to local families and the Corey LaJoie Kickball Klassic makes it possible for us to do this and complete our mission."

Wonderful sponsors such as RTIC Coolers, Johnny Fly, Honeybaked Ham, Blue Compass, Blue Green Vacations, Usana, Mizuno, Pit Boss, B's BBQ and Diamond Creek Water all contributed in big ways to help put together a now-cornerstone event in the Kannapolis community.

Fans can stay in the loop on with the Cannon Ballers on the team’s social media outlets, with live in-game updates being provided on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @kcannonballers. All Cannon Ballers home games are broadcast for free on Bally Live, with all home and select road games also having a free audio broadcast on kcballers.com and the MiLB First Pitch App.