Governor Perdue Signs Bill Making Stock Car Racing North Carolina's Official State Sport
N.C. Govenor Perdue signed a Bill into law today, naming Stock Car Racing the Official State Sport of North Carolina Credit: Brad Bowling/Charlotte Motor Speedway |
CONCORD, N.C. (June 21, 2011) - With the stroke of a pen today at
Charlotte Motor Speedway, North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue signed
Senate Bill 322 into law, making stock car racing the official state sport
and adding to the legacy of fabulous firsts at the historic 1.5-mile
superspeedway.
Perdue was joined by a host of special guests on hand to watch the
bill signing ceremony, including Marcus Smith, president and general manager
of Charlotte Motor Speedway; NASCAR Hall of Famers Ned Jarrett and Bobby
Allison; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver David Ragan; and a group of fourth
and fifth grade students from Lake Norman Elementary School and Mt. Mourne
IB School in Iredell County, who originated the bill. In addition, 12
grassroots Legend Car and Bandolero drivers, industry leaders and
dignitaries who are members of the North Carolina Motorsports Advisory
Council and Charlotte Motor Speedway fans were in attendance.
"Sometimes it takes really bright kids to tell all of us grown-ups
what we ought to be doing. And that's what these students are about today,"
said Perdue. "They found something that should have been right under our
noses because we all love NASCAR, we love Charlotte Motor Speedway, we get
really excited during race season. So it's pretty cool for these students to
understand that we needed to do better."
The students worked to get the legislation passed for more than a
year and the bill was ratified last week by the state's General Assembly. 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.
"It feels really good to know that the bill has finally passed and
nobody disagreed with making stock car racing North Carolina's state sport,
it feels really rewarding," said Sierra Bice, a student at Lake Norman
Elementary School.
North Carolina now joins 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).
"When you think about North Carolina and you think about racing, it
really has been unofficially the state sport for so long and I think today
to have the governor sign a bill that makes racing the official state sport
is really neat and special," said Smith. "It's an exciting time and a real
privilege for Charlotte Motor Speedway to be such a big part of the
governor's trip today."
To view photos from the event, visit:
www.charlottemotorspeedway.com/multimedia/photo/.
Tickets for October races at Charlotte Motor Speedway are on sale
now and can be purchased online at www.charlottemotorspeedway.com or by
calling the speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267). The Coca-Cola
Four Pack includes tickets, hot dogs and Coca-Cola drinks starting at just
$39.75 per person.
Connect with Charlotte Motor Speedway on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/CLTMotorSpdwy or on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/charlottemotorspeedway.
Governor Perdue Signs Bill Making Stock Car Racing North Carolina's Official State Sport
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Tuesday, June 21, 2011
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