BARABOO, WI – We all have a cancer story. Whether prostate cancer for men or breast cancer for women (not to mention skin, lung, liver, pancreatic, etc.), virtually all of us know someone diagnosed with some form of cancer. That’s why Ford launched its limited-edition Warriors in Pink® Mustangs on May 11, 2007. In fact, to date, Ford has donated more than $139 million to Susan G. Komen® and Pink Fund® through the sale of these special 2007/08 Mustangs and its ongoing Warriors in Pink® apparel and gifts.
A good friend of Ford, Dan Neve, has a particularly inspiring cancer story. Early in 2010, both Dan’s wife and mother were diagnosed with breast cancer – just one month apart. Of course, the expected treatment plans were employed. But, like the famous Mustang ad campaign from 1964, the Neve’s cancer story includes something… unexpected.
Wanting to offer something more than prayer and empathy and wanting to truly make a difference for more women than just those in his life, Dan purchased a new Shelby GT500 – but not for the reasons most of us would! No sooner than he took delivery of his 540-hp steed, Dan began rounding up sponsors like the Carroll Shelby Foundation and applying pink decals to the car’s white-over-black livery. Next came an invitation from the SVT Owners Association’s Marcie Cipriani for Dan to bring the GT500 out to Virginia International Raceway for that year’s SVT Superfest. By the end of 2010, Dan’s Cruise for a Cause had raised $10,000 which he then donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.
In the years since, Cruise for a Cause has grown and become its own 501c 3 non-profit. Year after year, Dan has traveled to major Ford and Mustang-centric car shows all over the country, raising awareness and funds to continue his fight. He’s purchased more Mustangs and partnered with many businesses and even legendary builders like Shelby American and Saleen Automotive to customize – and give away – truly iconic automobiles that “Deliver hope wherever they go.
”This past autumn, Dan’s efforts culminated in Cruise for a Cause’s 14th Annual Fall Ford Fest. The event featured speakers such as the Mustang Restoration Shop’s “Mustang Brothers” Cody and Preston Ingrassia, and UNBRIDLED: The Passion, Performance & Politics Behind America’s Favorite Pony Car author Robert M. Kennedy. Activities included scenic cruises, track time at Black Hawk Farms Raceway, speed and dyno runs courtesy of Middleton Motorsports, autocross, car show, silent and live auctions, and a dinner banquet where the #3 Dark Horse was awarded to raffle participant Carol Krisanda. It was, as usual, an amazing event that raised over $60,000. The weekend’s proceeds helped Dan write a check for over $175,000 to the Marshfield Clinic’s Cancer Research Foundation – bringing his cumulative total to over $1.3 million in donations since he first founded Cruise for a Cause!
If you’d like to join the cause, Dan invites you to visit cruise4acause.org and join in the 2025 festivities at Ho-Chunk Casino in Baraboo, Wisconsin; including the All In Against Cancer Car & Truck Show (May 2, 2025) and Fall Ford Fest (October 1-5, 2025). This year, Dan has partnered with Vaughn Gittin Jr. to raffle a Spec 2 RTR Mustang – complete with a supercharger, custom leather interior, carbon fiber hood and decklid, special lighting and a one-of-a-kind graphics package. What better way to indulge your Mustang passion – than helping to finally find a cure for cancer?
Dan would like to thank his many partners who help make Cruise for a Cause a success from year to year. Of course, Ford Motor Company, Team Mustang, Ford Performance Parts and Ford Performance Club Connect, Middleton Motorsports, Griffin Ford Ft Atkinson, RTR, Shelby American, Saleen, Roush, Anderson Composites, BFGoodrich, National Parts Depot, VMP Performance, CJPony Parts, Katzins Leather, Covercraft, Odyssey Battery, Modern Drive Line, JMS Tuning, Carroll Shelby Racing, Diode Dynamics, Johnson Towing, Prostickers.com, Lake Mills Cleaners and his newest friends at Gearwrench.
