Virtual Earth is a part of the Live Local Search team which is a part of the Live Search team which is a part of Windows Live which is a part of Microsoft. This helps you understand the brand a bit more and helps me justify posting some exciting news about Microsoft’s contributions to Children’s Hospital.

Live Search and Team Seattle are going to the Daytona Motor Speedway this weekend for the 24 Hours of Daytona endurance race. As a primary sponsor of Team Seattle, we are committed to helping them reach their goal of raising $700,000 for Seattle’s Children’s Hospital. To learn how you can support Team Seattle, and follow along with the team leading up to and during the race, we’ve turned over the Live Search Racing Space to Team Seattle and their drivers. We’d love you to go there, read about what it takes to compete in the premier endurance race in Motorsports, and sponsor the Live Search car to help Children’s Hospital provide world class care to children, regardless of their ability to pay.

Microsoft has been involved with the Team Seattle effort at some level from the beginning in 1997, and for the last two years Live Search has taken the lead role. For 2008, Live Search is returning as a co-sponsor of the team as a title sponsor of one of the cars (#85).  Due to corporate and private sponsorship underwriting of the cars, 100% of the pledge proceeds go to help children who are patients of Children’s Hospital and the team’s fundraising efforts over the past ten years has exceeded $2.7 million dollars!  Last year’s donors pledged anywhere from ten cents a lap to $15 a lap, for a total of $400,000.00. The goal this year is to raise $700,000, and you can be a big part of that by pledging yourself and letting others know about Live Search Racing.

So, please visit the Live Search Racing Space, add it to your Friends list, leave comments in the Guest Book for the drivers and, of course, pledge your support. Oh, and one more thing… the race will be televised on FOX starting at 10:00AM on Saturday, then carried for the duration on the SPEED channel.