DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 23, 2016) -- Kids everywhere are going back to school, but not before celebrating the end of summer with NASCAR. All this week, Kids Drive NASCAR is engaging the sport's young fans with news, events and social content geared toward kids leading up to the NASCAR national series races at Michigan International Speedway and Road America.
As part of the festivities, NASCAR today announced the launch of the Acceleration Nation app, the first digital experience created just for kids featuring racing-themed games, activities and fun ways to learn more about NASCAR. Parents can download the new app for their children at the App Store and Google Play.
"This week is all about the kids and bringing NASCAR's youngest fans even closer to the sport through innovative platforms like NASCAR Acceleration Nation," said Jill Gregory, NASCAR senior vice president and chief marketing officer. "With Kids Drive NASCAR, we've created a fun way to engage children by putting them in the driver's seat for a change."
Karsyn Elledge, the host of Nickelodeon's "NASCAR Hammer Down," Monday helped introduce Kids Drive NASCAR during a kids-only press conference streamed on Facebook Live from the NASCAR Hall of Fame. The launch coincided with an industry announcement that, beginning in 2017, kids ages 12 and younger will be admitted free to all NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races.
Jake Short, the star of Disney XD's Lab Rats: Elite Force, will serve as Honorary Kids Drive NASCAR Ambassador this weekend at Michigan International Speedway. Children attending the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races at MIS, as well as those attending the NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Road America, will be featured guests at driver and crew chief meetings and receive behind-the-scenes garage tours and photos with drivers.
NASCAR's social media channels will share Kids Drive NASCAR content throughout the week, including videos and Snapchat takeovers featuring young drivers sharing their off-track experiences, and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers with their kids. Fans are also invited to get in on the fun by sharing pictures of their children and families enjoying NASCAR races using #KidsDriveNASCAR.
Beginning this week, new NASCAR Acceleration Nation learning materials focused on lessons in aerodynamics and energy are being distributed to more than 10,000 elementary and middle schools across the country. NASCAR teamed with Scholastic to develop the motorsports industry’s first Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) in-school education program in 2015.
The 6,400-square-foot NASCAR Acceleration Nation live experience will be on display at Michigan International Speedway and will host interactive activities and driver autograph signings for kids throughout the weekend.
On Thursday, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Ben Kennedy and Michigan International Speedway executives will visit students at Ezra Eby Elementary School in Napoleon, Mich., to talk about NASCAR and STEM. Last fall, the school received a grant from MIS Cares, a donor advised fund of The NASCAR Foundation, for 35 digital tablets for student use across all subjects.
For more information about NASCAR Acceleration Nation, visit Accelerationnation.com.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to Michigan International Speedway for the Pure Michigan 400 on Sunday, Aug. 28 at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and MRN. A double-header on Saturday, Aug. 27 begins with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at MIS (1 p.m. ET; FS1, MRN) followed by the NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Road America (3 p.m. ET; NBCSN, MRN).