Charlotte Motor Speedway to Recognize Local Elementary School Students for Their Efforts in Establishing Stock Car Racing as the Official State Sport


CONCORD, N.C. (May 26, 2011) - Today students from Lake Norman
Elementary School will be recognized during Windstream Pole Night for
their efforts toward having stock car racing established as the
"official state sport" of North Carolina.
   
The 13 fifth-and-sixth grade students are responsible for the
project from start to finish and saw their hard work rewarded on April
27, when the North Carolina Senate voted overwhelmingly, 46-3, to pass
the bill.

The students, their parents and several school employees will be
the guests of Charlotte Motor Speedway during Windstream Pole Night,
which will set the field for the 52nd running of the Coca-Cola 600 on
Sunday, May 29. They will then be introduced to the race fans in
attendance, giving the students an opportunity to be recognized by the
people they set out to represent.

In addition to attending Windstream Pole Night, each of the
students will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to climb into the
starter's stand and wave the green flag for one of the 48 NASCAR Sprint
Cup Series drivers as they make their qualifying run.

The students brought the state sport bill to the North Carolina
General Assembly in March, 2011. In proposing the legislation, the
students pointed to motorsports' $6 billion annual economic impact to
North Carolina and noted that Charlotte, N.C., and the surrounding
region is home to Charlotte Motor Speedway, the NASCAR Hall of Fame and
more than 90 percent of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams. More than
200 businesses in Cabarrus County support the motorsports industry,
which employs nearly 20,000 people in the region.

"Having the students present to the Rules Committee in Raleigh
was a true highlight for me as an educator," said Boen Nutting,
principal at Lake Norman Elementary School. "It was a perfect example of
teaching children that they can make a difference in the laws of our
state. These children have taken learning out of the classroom and into
their community. I'm very, very proud of the work they have done."

The measure has moved on to the North Carolina House of
Representatives. If passed, North Carolina will join other U.S. states
with an official state sport, including Alaska (dog mushing); Colorado
(snowboarding and skiing); Massachusetts (basketball); Minnesota
(hockey); and South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming (rodeo).

Tickets for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway can be
purchased online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or by calling the
speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267). Fans can purchase two
frontstretch tickets with the best views of the world's largest HD video
board, for just $99.

For daily updates on May race activities, connect with Charlotte
Motor Speedway by following on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CLTMotorSpdwy
or become a Facebook fan at www.facebook.com/charlottemotorspeedway.
Charlotte Motor Speedway to Recognize Local Elementary School Students for Their Efforts in Establishing Stock Car Racing as the Official State Sport Charlotte Motor Speedway to Recognize Local Elementary School Students for Their Efforts in Establishing Stock Car Racing as the Official State Sport Reviewed by Admin on Thursday, May 26, 2011 Rating: 5