NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson is the spokesman for a new campaign aimed at increasing public awareness about cord blood donation.

CORD:USE Cord Blood Bank's is behind the "Help Win the Race for Life" campaign. Johnson joins other sports celebrities -- NBA hall of famer Julius "Dr. J" Erving, NASCAR drivers Rusty Wallace and Michael Waltrip and New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez -- in attempting to increase awareness of cord blood donation.

Orlando-based CORD:USE is working to create a large, ethnically-diverse inventory of cord blood stem cells, which is used in the treatment of more than 70 blood cancers and diseases. The company has agreements with hospitals across the country to give mothers the option of donating their babies' cord blood.