It’s early on a Friday morning at Michigan International Speedway during a weekend that celebrates children in our sport through the “Kids Drive NASCAR” platform. And it’s a perfect time to kick off a race weekend with The NASCAR Foundation’s fifth Speediatrics Fun Day Festival of the year – the first such event at MIS.
The NASCAR Foundation’s Speediatrics Fun Day Festival is dedicated to inspiring children to lead a healthy lifestyle. Children in attendance at the event, held in Graves Farm Campground, had an opportunity to become acquainted with some of NASCAR’s up-and-coming drivers – NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers Dalton Sargeant and Myatt Snider – who also couldn’t help but demonstrate their competitive spirit alongside the kids.
“Today is all about the kids,” The NASCAR Foundation Executive Director Nichole Krieger said. “We love having Dalton and Myatt out here with us to celebrate the kids in our sport and to show them that being healthy and active can be fun. We are grateful to partner with Michigan International Speedway to bring the Speediatrics Fun Day Festival to this racing community.”
NASCAR-themed Speediatrics characters took center stage throughout the event, with The NASCAR Foundation mascot Chase joining the drivers and kids to participate in NASCAR-themed field day activities: Safety Sam’s Pinewood Derby Race, Pit Stop Pete’s Goodyear Tire Race, Victory Lane’s Jump Rope Challenge and Chase’s Sponge Relay.
The festival also became a backdrop to celebrate a $20,000 grant presented by The NASCAR Foundation to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Ann Arbor (RMHCAA), to assist efforts to provide a supportive home away from home for families of children experiencing a serious illness or injury requiring hospitalization at a local area health facility.
“The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Ann Arbor is grateful for the support provided by The NASCAR Foundation,” says Julaine LeDuc, RMHCAA’s development director. “Nothing else should matter when a family is focused on the healing of their seriously ill or injured child. Donations enable us to provide a ’home away from home’ which assists in alleviating the families’ emotional and financial stress.”
The partnership with Michigan International Speedway and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Ann Arbor is an initiative of The NASCAR Foundation’s Speediatrics Children’s Fund, which supports needs expressed by hospitals, specialty clinics, camps and other organizations providing medical and health care services in NASCAR racing communities.
