Men Wear Pink
Grand Prix
T4 KartPlex Raceway, Palmetto, FL
A Sarasota and Manatee County fundraiser, led by Tony Fitzgerald in support of his American Cancer Society Men Wear Pink Sarasota Manatee 2026 campaign.
Donate to Tony's campaign Race, sponsor, or spectateOr call/text Tony at (941) 941-5150
She was the first female firefighter I ever mentored.
Breast cancer affects everyone. It does not matter if you are a man or a woman. That is why I am stepping up to fight it with all I have.
I started working at a young age and learned the value of hard work and community service early. As a former firefighter I spent my career helping other people, and that work taught me what giving back really means, especially when it comes to health.
One of the most impactful experiences of my life was mentoring a remarkable woman who became a dear friend. She was the first female firefighter I mentored, and later she became a paramedic. Her battle with breast cancer, and her passing, left a mark on me that has not faded. That is what drives me to raise money and awareness through Men Wear Pink, and to help end breast cancer as we know it, for everyone.
So every October I wear pink, I ask loudly, and I put on a race. The Grand Prix is simple: local businesses and families, team kart racing, a silent auction, trophies, and a lot of pink. Net event proceeds support my Men Wear Pink campaign, and you can give directly to the American Cancer Society through my campaign page any time.
The 2026 event
Relay-format go-kart racing at T4 KartPlex in Palmetto, plus a silent auction, food trucks, a DJ, and real trophies. Noon to 5 PM, Sunday, October 4. No racing experience needed.
When & where
Sunday, October 4, 2026, noon to 5 PM, at T4 KartPlex Raceway, 10101 US-41 N, Palmetto, FL. Right on US-41 in Manatee County — an easy run from Bradenton, Ellenton, Parrish, Lakewood Ranch, and Sarasota.
Grid Slot — $500
Up to 4 drivers per team. Includes the go-kart, 4 driver shirts, and 2 spectator passes. 20 grid slots total, and year one proved they go fast. Relay format: every driver gets real track time.
Spectators — adults $10, kids 12 & under free
Come cheer, bid in the silent auction, enjoy the DJ and food trucks, and watch your friends pretend they are professional drivers.
Driver requirements
Age 12 or older, at least 5 feet tall, closed-toe shoes required. Shorts and T-shirts are fine. You will have fun.
Silent auction & raffle
Gift baskets, experiences, and local products. Want to donate an auction item? Call or text me and I will make it easy.
Podium & awards
Real trophies, real bragging rights, and awards you will not see at other charity events. Ask last year's winners.
Grab a grid slot · $500 Spectator passes · $10
Or call/text Tony at (941) 941-5150 and he will get you on the grid.
The 2025 trophy board
Nine trophies went home from the inaugural race — 10-inch two-layer acrylic, and every plate reads Men Wear Pink Grand Prix · Inaugural Race · 2025. This is what you are actually racing for. The board comes back for 2026.
The podium
And six you cannot plan for
Putting the 2025 winners' names on this board now. If you took one of these home last October, text me at (941) 941-5150 and I will get you up here.
The team that makes race day possible
Some sponsors help an event happen. Sage Auto Studios is the reason this one gets to the starting line.
Team Principal is the top of the board, and it is gone. Matt Ancona, Alex Nodel, Wyatt Misztak, and the Sage Auto Studios crew took it.
Then they did something I never asked for.
That package comes with two complete race-team entries. Eight drivers. They could have put employees in those karts. Customers. Friends. Instead they are gifting both entries forward.
Those two karts are going to participants connected through a local community organization. People who get to show up, race as a team, and have a day at the track they would not have had otherwise.
That tells you who you are dealing with. They did not just sponsor the race. They used their sponsorship to pull other people into it.
Here is what they actually do. Sage Auto Studios protects and transforms vehicles. Paint protection film, ceramic coating, window tint, vehicle wraps, detailing, paint correction, and customization. They have been an XPEL certified installer since 2018, ranked number one in Florida four years running, top 20 in the nation, and XPEL Dealer of the Year for the Southeast in 2024 and 2025.
Two shops, both close to the track. One at 4702 Lena Road in Lakewood Ranch, one at 3855 Clark Road in Sarasota. If your car matters to you, go see them.
What they do to a vehicle is impressive. What they are doing for this race, and for those two teams, says more.
Thank you, Sage Auto Studios. You do not just have your name on this race. You are the reason there is a race.
The rest of the board is filling up
Every one of these is a local business that said yes before race day was anywhere close. Go give them your work.
Next Level IT Pros
The Paddock Club is where everybody ends up between runs. Shade, cold drinks, and the part of the day where people actually talk to each other. Next Level IT Pros put their name on it.
They are a Lakewood Ranch managed IT shop that has kept small and medium businesses in Sarasota and Bradenton running since 2020. Managed IT, Microsoft 365, cybersecurity, and VoIP. They watch client networks around the clock and they back the work with a no-small-print satisfaction guarantee, which is a rare thing for anybody to put in writing.
If your IT guy only turns up after something is already broken, go talk to them. (941) 867-2348
Visit Next Level IT Pros2026 sponsor packages
Year one sold out every named package. For 2026 the title is already gone. Sage Auto Studios took Team Principal. Seven named packages are left, each one-of-one, so the first yes takes it. Every sponsor gets event signage, race-shirt logo placement, DJ/MC recognition, and social media coverage; the tiers below add naming rights, teams, and premium placement.
These are built for Sarasota and Manatee County businesses. Your name goes on signage at the track, on every race shirt, in the DJ's rotation all afternoon, and through the event's social coverage — in front of the local families and business owners you already want in front of. Bradenton, Palmetto, Ellenton, Parrish, Lakewood Ranch, Anna Maria, Sarasota, Osprey, Nokomis, Venice, North Port, Englewood: if you are here, this is your crowd.
- "Presented by" naming position + largest logo everywhere
- Two race teams (up to 8 drivers). Both gifted forward to the community.
- 8 event shirts + 8 spectator passes
- Podium presentation + vehicle/product display
- First right of refusal for 2027
- Main-race naming recognition
- One race team (2-4 drivers)
- 4 event shirts + 4 spectator passes
- Prominent shirt and signage placement
- Practice-session naming recognition
- One race team (2-4 drivers)
- 4 event shirts + 2 spectator passes
- Podium and awards-area branding
- Trophy-presentation recognition
- 2 shirts + 2 spectator passes
- "Official Race Shirt Sponsor" recognition
- Priority logo placement on every shirt
- 2 shirts + 2 spectator passes
- Food-court naming and signage
- Recognition with the food-truck vendors
- 2 shirts + 2 spectator passes
- Hospitality and bar-area branding
- 2 shirts + 2 spectator passes
- Race-shirt logo
- DJ booth branding + regular verbal recognition
- 2 shirts + 2 spectator passes
- Race-shirt logo
- Registration and pit-tent signage
- 2 shirts + 2 spectator passes
- Race-shirt logo
Not ready for a package? Take a $500 grid slot, donate a silent-auction item, or partner in-kind. Email [email protected] or call/text (941) 941-5150.
Prefer to give directly?
Donate on my American Cancer Society page instead and your gift goes straight to ACS — they send your receipt. Donate at my campaign page.
If you want a race team that way, donate $500 and then text me at (941) 941-5150 so I can put your name on a kart. The ACS form has no place to tell me a team was bought or who is driving, so the text is how I know.
Food trucks wanted
The spot in the Food Court is free. Vendors donate 50% of event-day proceeds to my American Cancer Society Men Wear Pink campaign, and you keep the rest. You get prime placement next to the grid, DJ/MC callouts all afternoon, and social coverage before and after the race.
Six spots, and Sarasota and Manatee trucks are exactly who I want on site. Hungry racers, families, and spectators from noon to 5 PM.
Questions first? Call or text Tony at (941) 941-5150.
Can't make race day? Give directly.
Every day the American Cancer Society saves more lives from breast cancer than ever before. They help people reduce their risk and catch cancer early, when it is easier to treat. They put free information and services where people need them, they fund research that moves the whole fight forward, and they work to make sure women can get the mammograms that save lives.
Every donation goes straight to the American Cancer Society through my official Men Wear Pink campaign page, and ACS sends your receipt. Per the American Cancer Society, gifts like these could help real families right now:
Join me in honoring everyone this disease has touched. Together we can make a lasting impact.
Donate at my campaign pageEverything people ask me
Is this a real go-kart race, or just a fundraiser with karts?
Both. It is real go-kart racing on the road course at T4 KartPlex Raceway in Palmetto, run as a relay so every driver on your team gets real track time. Then we hand out real trophies. Nine of them last year, including Fastest Driver and Best Crash.
Do I need racing experience to drive?
No. Most of the grid in year one had never raced anything. If you are 12 or older, at least 5 feet tall, and wearing closed-toe shoes, you can drive. The track handles the safety briefing before you go out.
What does it cost to race a go-kart team?
A Grid Slot is $500 for a team of up to four drivers, and it includes the kart, four driver shirts, and two spectator passes. There are 20 grid slots for 2026. If you only want to watch, spectator passes are $10 for adults and free for kids 12 and under.
Is it family friendly?
Yes. Kids 12 and under get in free, and every child still needs a ticket so we have a headcount. There are food trucks, a DJ, and a silent auction, and the whole thing runs noon to 5 PM on a Sunday. Bring the family.
Who is the title sponsor of the Men Wear Pink Grand Prix?
Sage Auto Studios is the 2026 title sponsor. They took the Team Principal package, which is the top of the sponsor board. Sage Auto Studios protects and transforms vehicles with paint protection film, ceramic coating, window tint, vehicle wraps, detailing, and paint correction, out of two shops on the Suncoast: 4702 Lena Road in Lakewood Ranch and 3855 Clark Road in Sarasota. Their sponsorship includes two race-team entries and they are gifting both of them forward to participants connected through a local community organization.
How do I give back if I do not want to race?
Plenty of ways, and all of them help. Buy a spectator pass and bid in the silent auction. Take a sponsor package. Donate an item for the auction. Bring a food truck. Volunteer on race day. Or skip the event entirely and give straight to the American Cancer Society on my campaign page.
Can I volunteer on race day?
Yes, and I can use the help. Text me at (941) 941-5150. I need hands at registration, the pit tent, and the auction table.
Where does the money go?
Net event proceeds support my American Cancer Society Men Wear Pink Sarasota Manatee 2026 campaign. Donations made directly on my ACS campaign page go straight to the American Cancer Society, and ACS sends the receipt for those.
Is this an official American Cancer Society event?
No. I organize the Grand Prix independently to raise money for my Men Wear Pink campaign. It is not produced, operated, or sanctioned by the American Cancer Society.
Where is the track, and how far is it from Sarasota or Bradenton?
T4 KartPlex Raceway, 10101 US-41 N, Palmetto, FL 34221, in Manatee County right on US-41. It is a straight run up 41 from Bradenton and Sarasota, and it is minutes from Ellenton and Parrish.
The Men Wear Pink Grand Prix is a Tony Fitzgerald-led fundraising event supporting his American Cancer Society Men Wear Pink Sarasota Manatee 2026 campaign. It is independently organized by Tony Fitzgerald and is not produced, operated, or sanctioned by the American Cancer Society. Net event proceeds support Tony's campaign; donations made through the campaign page go directly to the American Cancer Society. Sponsorships include advertising benefits and may not be fully tax-deductible; details are provided at commitment. Sponsorships and team registrations are purchased through the secure checkout on this page; spectator passes and food truck spots are handled through Eventbrite. All sales are final and non-refundable. Event details subject to final venue confirmation. Impact examples are American Cancer Society illustrations from its 2026 Men Wear Pink materials. This event is separate from Tony's work as a mortgage broker; nothing on this page is mortgage advertising.
Tony Fitzgerald · NMLS #1284924 · 1st Response Mortgage · powered by Mpire Financial Group LLC · NMLS #2108504 · Florida License #MLD2467 · Mortgage Broker · Sarasota, FL · (941) 941-5150
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