Reigning Indianapolis 500 Mile Race champion Ryan Hunter-Reay announced a $2.5 million gift to Cleveland Clinic Florida's new cancer center in Weston, where the lobby will be named for his mother, Lydia, who died of cancer in 2009.

The gift is a joint donation from his own nonprofit organization, Racing for Cancer, and Fort Lauderdale-based retailer AutoNation, which has partnered with Hunter-Reay since last year to raise funds to fight cancer. Each group initially pledged $1 million, and AutoNation pledged an additional $500,000 – or $1,000 for every mile Hunter-Reay completed in his Indianapolis 500 victory in May.

"I thought we'd make a difference with small drops in the bucket. But this is a big splash. It's a wave," Hunter-Reay said.

Cleveland Clinic Florida broke ground last year on a five-story, 143,000-square-foot building expected to open in early 2015.

On Dec. 3 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum, the base relief image of Hunter-Reay on the Borg-Warner Trophy will be unveiled. The public is invited to the 5 p.m. ceremony.