By Ben Orcutt -- Daily Staff Writer

WINCHESTER — Gasoline is to stock car racing what blood is to the human body — the propelling fuel.

Frederick County resident Jason Cunningham knows just how vital each is — even more so since being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia on Nov. 2 by Winchester oncologist Dr. William A. Houck III.

A lifelong NASCAR fan, Cunningham, 25, is a volunteer track official at Winchester Speedway. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 26, the speedway is teaming up with NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and his 3M racing team to sponsor a blood drive at Elks Lodge 867 on Front Royal Pike in Winchester.

"3M Racing is a Biffle sponsorship and they're connected with American Red Cross to make people aware of the need for blood," says Diana Anderson, Cunningham's mother. "For every pint of blood somebody donates, three people get to live, whether they have leukemia, whether they've been in a car accident. It's not just for Jason. It's for everybody in the community to make people aware of the fact that we need blood.

"On April 27th, Greg Biffle's running the American Red Cross logo on his car at the Talladega race."

Biffle also will be featured in local radio spots for the blood drive, Anderson says.

Blood donors will be entered into a raffle and be eligible to win tickets to the June 8 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway, as well as hats autographed by Biffle and a host of other prizes.

"We have gone out to businesses throughout the Winchester area and recruited everything from gift certificates to pizzas to gym memberships for Jason's blood drive," says family friend Lisa Katsias.

Chris Renner, a friend of Cunningham's who also volunteers at Winchester Speedway, says he was stunned when he found out that Cunningham had cancer.

"It freaked me out," the 26-year-old Renner says. "I wasn't expecting anybody close to me like that to actually have leukemia."

Renner says he tries to bolster Cunningham's spirits.

"Just try to keep him hyped," Renner says. "Try to keep him ready for racing season. Hope that he gets well."

A 2001 graduate of Sherando High School, Cunningham completed his chemotherapy at the Massey Cancer Center at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond, as well as Winchester Medical Center.

Cunningham has his blood checked three times a week. He says his doctor is looking for what are known as "blast cells."

"They're cancer cells in your blood," Cunningham says. "They're looking to see if it's elevated."

"And also they look to see if your platelets are low or if your hemoglobin is low," his mother adds.

If his blood count is low, he receives blood.

"I feel fine," Jason says, "other than being tired when my blood gets low." He hasn't been able to work as a warehouse employee for Allied Systems since Oct. 27.

Cunningham says he's never felt sorry for himself, and that the mental part of his illness is not a problem.

"No, not really," he says. "I have my mind set I'm [going to] come through this stuff and that's how I feel."

Although he's not a regular churchgoer, Cunningham says he does have faith in God to help him through his battle with cancer. In addition to his mother, he says his stepfather, Don Anderson, has been very supportive, as have his friends, many of whom visited him while he was in the hospital in Richmond for more than a month.

The Andersons give a lot of thanks to the nurses at VCU for helping them deal with their son's illness. His outlook on life has changed since his cancer diagnosis, Cunningham says.

"It's changed it a lot," he says. "I mean before, I used to worry about stuff. I don't worry about nothing anymore."

Cunningham's mother says that he's considered to be in the 78th percentile to beat his cancer, but that it takes five years from the first diagnosis to know for sure if he's completely cured.

According to information from The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, cancer cells develop in bone marrow and then enter the bloodstream, crowding out normal, vital, healthy cells.

Cunningham's treatment consists of a half dozen or so medications, including antibiotics. While the cancer has slowed him down some, it hasn't kept him from hopping into his 1989 Ford F-150 pickup and visiting friends, going bowling or to garden tractor-pulling events.

"I just take it day by day," Cunningham says, adding that he's looking forward to going to the National Aquarium in Baltimore on his birthday on June 8.

He says he'd like to see a NASCAR race at tracks like Richmond, Bristol or Daytona.

"Daytona 500, everybody'd like to see that one," he says. "I mean, it's hard, but if you set your mind to something, you can always do whatever you want."

His mother says that the family tries to look at the situation as a glass half full, rather than half empty. She is grateful to Winchester Speedway and Biffle's racing team for their support.

"Everybody from the racetrack, all the drivers, they help me get through it," Cunningham says, wiping away a tear.

Like her son, Cunningham's mother knows that blood is the life force that keeps him alive.

"Please go out, whether it be this blood drive or any other blood drive and donate," she says. "The more people that we can get to donate, there's more people that we can use the blood for, whether it be an emergency, whether it be like Jason where he has to get it possibly three days a week. Other people that donated helped my son be here now."

For more information on the blood drive or to donate, call the American Red Cross in Winchester at 667-0923 or Mrs. Anderson at 662-2777 or 931-4051.

* Contact Ben Orcutt at borcutt@nvdaily.com

Blood donors eligible for prizes

• What: Blood drive sponsored by Winchester Speedway in partnership with NASCAR driver Greg Biffle and the 3M racing team
• When: April 26, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Where: Elks Lodge 867 on Front Royal Pike,Winchester
• Prizes: Donors will be entered in a raffle to win tickets to the June 8 NASCAR Sprint Cup at Pocono Raceway, hats autographed by Greg Biffle, gift certificates, pizzas and other prizes.