LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Throughout the NASCAR season, Valvoline Global is accustomed to seeing their colors decorate cars fielded by Hendrick Motorsports. This weekend, the Valvoline car has a different look to help highlight Blood Cancer United and its ongoing efforts to fight pediatric blood cancer.

“Most of the therapies that are actually out there today are designed for adults and they’re reapplied for children,” said Jamal Muashsher, president and CEO of Valvoline Global Operations. “The Dare To Dream Project is a $175 million initiative designed specifically for children’s pediatric blood cancer.”

“Our efforts are built on our $1 million pledge that we made last year. This is the next step in taking that to a whole another level with our partners from Hendrick Motorsports,” Muashsher added.

That next level included recruiting four artists to help design a new Valvoline paint scheme destined for the No. 24 Chevrolet at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, known as the ROVAL. One of the artists is Penelope Macaluso.

“I drew my stuffed animal rabbit with my two cats Olive and Nico,” Penelope explained.

Her dad Greg said their journey with Blood Cancer United started just a few months into the COVID stay-at-home orders.

“She kept spiking a fever,” Greg said. “We didn’t know what was going on with her. She was kind of starting to turn like yellow-y, and the doctors didn’t want to see her because it was COVID.”

After spiking fevers for several months, Greg took Penelope back to see doctors for blood work. Just 12 hours after their visit, they received this call saying, “’rush her to the hospital, she’s anemic, she can go into cardiac arrest. We don’t know what’s going on but her blood levels are off the charts awful.’”

“We take her to the hospital and about 24 hours later they diagnosed her with leukemia,” said Greg.

During her time going through treatments, Penelope had a comfort by her side.

“Rabbit I’ve had since I was like a little baby,” Penelope shared. “He goes everywhere with me, and when I was in treatment, he had his own IV with me. And my two cats, they’ve been awesome. Every time I would get home, I would just like run to them and hug them.”

“I’ve told so many stories about that rabbit,” Greg added. “That thing goes everywhere with us. It’s just, it’s a part of our lives. As soon as they said, ‘Can you do a drawing for the car,’ it was like we knew she was drawing that rabbit.”

The drawing includes Rabbit, the purple animal, with its arms around the two cats – Olive and Nico. Penelope signed her name underneath the animals. It’s just one of many drawings placed around the car.

“We thought it was going to be like a little thing on the side of the car, but it’s like the whole door,” Penelope said. The drawing sits in front of the right rear wheel well.

Penelope and the other artists will join the Hendrick Motorsports team and driver of the No. 24 William Byron at the Charlotte ROVAL for the race on Sunday, Oct. 5. Byron said these visitors will add some energy to the weekend.

“I think it’s just going to enhance it,” Byron added. “It’s just going to make it more exciting and that much more meaning going into the weekend. For me it’s not much different. I’m just excited to get in the race car and hopefully do a good job for them.”

During an event at the Valvoline Global headquarters in Lexington, Valvoline employees met Penelope, who signed a few posters, took a few pictures, and sat on stage with her dad and Byron to share more about her design.

“The drawing basically says comfort is good to have with you,” she explained. “Like comfort makes you stronger.”

“I just think she’s very strong and mature for her age,” Byron said. “I mean she’s been through a lot, so I think that that’s inspiration for somebody like myself or really anybody.”

“She’s like a little rock star to begin with,” said Greg. “We’ve always felt that way about her, so now watching her on this stage is kind of, it’s just extra special to us too because she went through so much as a kid. It’s really, it’s really inspiring to see her inspire others.”

You can catch a glimpse of Penelope’s Rabbit running the race track when the NASCAR Cup Series takes on the Charlotte ROVAL this Sunday, Oct. 5 at 3 p.m. USA Network has the coverage.