CART donates for Vanderbilt Cup rights.

CART Charities - the charitable arm of Championship Auto Racing Teams - announced today that it has donated several items of memorabilia to the Eastern Motor Racing Association [EMRA] in exchange for the right to use the Vanderbilt Cup as the championship trophy for the FedEx Championship Series.

The items donated to EMRA include an artist's rendering of the Vanderbilt Cup; a framed, matted print from the Inaugural U.S. 500; a 1999-2000 edition of the Autocourse CART yearbook; a chequered flag from the 2000 season signed by various drivers; and a programme from the 2000 FedEx Championship Series Awards Banquet, which was the first time the Vanderbilt Cup was presented to the series champion.

Each item was signed by three-time FedEx Championship Series champion Bobby Rahal, who also is co-owner of Team Rahal and served as interim CART president and CEO from 16 June to 1 December last year.

Founded in 1969, EMRA was formed by a committee of local sports car clubs to provide a sanctioning body to sponsor the then-growing interest in club racing, and has become one of the premier sanctioning bodies in the Northeast. EMRA events are held at tracks such as Nazareth Speedway, Pocono Raceway, Lime Rock Park, Watkins Glen International Speedway, and Summit Point Raceway.

In 1974, EMRA received permission from the Vanderbilt family to revive the tradition of the Vanderbilt Cup as its trophy for winning the annual Vanderbilt Cup race at Bridgehampton Raceway on Long Island in New York. Previously, the Vanderbilt Cup was the prize for the most prestigious street races on Long Island between 1904 and 1937. With the closing of Bridgehampton Raceway, EMRA continues to uphold the annual Vanderbilt Cup tradition at several other race venues. EMRA has allowed CART to use the Vanderbilt Cup as its trophy for the FedEx Championship Series.