Before the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Thursday, The NASCAR Foundation surprised more than 100 children from the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Blue Ridge with new bicycles as part of special field-day event at Martinsville Speedway.
The Speediatrics Fun Day Festival powered by Kaulig Racing was held in The 1948 tent, just outside of the racetrack, and featured a variety of fun, pit crew-themed activities for Boys & Girls Club members, including the Goodyear Tire Race, Pit Stop Challenge and Gas Can Relay. Each child also received a new bicycle, bicycle helmet and safety training during the event.
“For many of these kids, this is a first-time NASCAR experience so to have the opportunity to engage them at this age, introduce them to our sport and create a fun atmosphere around our race events is really important,” said Nichole Krieger, Executive Director of The NASCAR Foundation. “It‘s been amazing to partner with Kaulig Racing to provide such a fun and memorable experience for the next generation of NASCAR fans.”
The two-hour festival event culminated a week-long, NASCAR-themed program designed to inspire youth from the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Blue Ridge to be physically active and lead a healthy lifestyle. At the track, kids from three local clubs rotated through a series of activities demonstrating the various roles that NASCAR pit crew members perform during a pit stop.
“I had the most fun I‘ve had in a long time and my favorite part was the lug nut relay race,” said Anala, 10, of nearby Bassett, Va. “It was really cool to learn about how the pit crews do their jobs and train to get ready for the races.”
To begin the event, Kaulig Racing drivers AJ Allmendinger, Landon Cassill and Daniel Hemric were on hand to help The NASCAR Foundation present a $15,000 donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Blue Ridge. The partnership between The NASCAR Foundation and Kaulig Racing is facilitated by Kaulig Giving, the philanthropic arm of Kaulig Companies.
Thursday‘s event Martinsville Speedway is one of nine Speediatrics Fun Day Festivals planned for the 2022 race season. The events are held in NASCAR race markets nationwide as an extension of The NASCAR Foundation‘s Speediatrics Children‘s Fund, which supports the needs expressed by hospitals, specialty clinics, camps and other organizations providing children‘s medical and health care services.
In 2021, NASCAR announced Boys & Girls Clubs of America as its Official Youth Community Partner and this year both NASCAR and The NASCAR Foundation are hosting youth from local clubs for unique, at-track experiences across 15 NASCAR race weekends.
— NASCAR Foundation —
