A 12-year-old from Charlotte who beat an aggressive form of blood cancer has designed the paint scheme that will carry NASCAR driver William Byron around the track next month. Palmer Goforth found his love of drawing while undergoing treatment for Burkitt's lymphoma, and that passion has now landed on the hood of Byron's No. 24 Valvoline Chevrolet, according to Queen City News.
Goforth was diagnosed with childhood cancer at age eight, according to the Novant Health Foundation. Burkitt lymphoma is an aggressive, fast-growing B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma that makes up roughly 40 percent of childhood non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases in the United States and occurs most often in boys between ages 5 and 14, according to the American Cancer Society.
Drawing His Way Through Chemo
It was during those hospital stays that Goforth discovered his talent for art. He sketched to pass the time during treatment, a coping outlet that JosephSrigley.com reports became his primary escape while hospitalized. That habit never really left him. By age nine, in December 2022, he was organizing a holiday toy drive for other pediatric cancer patients at Hemby Children's Hospital, recalling his own experience spending Christmas there during chemotherapy, according to WCNC.
Now 12, Goforth put that same drawing instinct to work on paper, sketching out what became a Miami-inspired scheme. Per Queen City News, he described making drawings on paper before developing what turned into a beach-themed design for Byron's car. The finished scheme was officially unveiled by Hendrick Motorsports on August 31, and it is scheduled to make its official NASCAR Cup Series track debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 11, according to Blood Cancer United.
A Hometown Driver, A Hometown Cause
Byron, a Charlotte native, signed a four-year contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports in May 2025 to keep driving the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 through at least 2029, according to TobyChristie.com, which notes he was a 14-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner. Race fans got to meet Goforth in person Saturday morning when his design was displayed at a Cars & Coffee event at zMAX Dragway in Concord, Queen City News reported.
The project was made possible through a collaboration between Valvoline Global Operations, Blood Cancer United, and Hendrick Motorsports, per Queen City News. Valvoline pledged $1 million over five years to support pediatric blood cancer initiatives as part of its Driving for a Dream campaign with Hendrick Motorsports and Blood Cancer United, according to Valvoline Global.
Funding a $175 Million Research Push
That corporate commitment feeds into Blood Cancer United's Dare to Dream Project, a $175 million campaign aimed at accelerating pediatric blood cancer research, expanding clinical trials such as the LLS PedAL Master Clinical Trial, and providing free support services for patient families, according to Blood Cancer United's own event materials. Blood Cancer United, formerly known as The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, serves patients across more than 100 types of blood cancers; it was founded in 1949.
The timing lines up with September being both Blood Cancer Awareness Month and Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Queen City News noted.
When Byron's Chevrolet rolls onto the track at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 11, it will carry more than a paint job. It will carry the story of a kid who turned FaceTime sketches with his brother into a survival ritual, and later into a career-launching moment on one of NASCAR's biggest stages, in his own hometown.
