Speedway Motorsports employees put their commitment to the community on full display Wednesday, with more than 75 people lending more than 300 hours of labor to four Cabarrus County nonprofits as part of the company’s fifth Day of Service.
Volunteers from Charlotte Motor Speedway, U.S. Legend Cars, zMAX Dragway and The Dirt Track at Charlotte pitched in at Wings of Eagles Ranch, the Coltrane L.I.F.E. Center, Esther’s Heart for Transformation and The Teaching House, with activities ranging from carpentry and painting to landscaping, power washing and general beautification.
Visitors to the Coltrane L.I.F.E. Center, including Charlotte Motor Speedway Executive Vice President and General Manager Greg Walter, also played B-I-N-G-O with those in attendance.
“One of our four core principles is to invest in our community, and this is a day that our team realizes is important,” Walter said. “People ask about (Day of Service) all year long. I have no trouble getting volunteers to come out here. As a matter of fact, my biggest issue is having enough people back at the office to get ready for the (upcoming) events. This is a chance for us to get together as a crew and apply our expertise and the passion that we have for others, and do good in the community.
“Everything we do, we do with a servant’s heart. This is a chance for us to exhibit that.”
The Day of Service program began in 2018, when the Speedway Motorsports Pit Crew began making a direct and immediate impact on the community. Since the first Day of Service, the company has built ramps for wheelchair-bound veterans, repaired railings, cooked and provided meals for those in need, painted, power washed and landscaped many charities in and around Cabarrus County.
Additionally, Speedway Motorsports partnered with Reeves Construction to repave a nonfunctional driveway at The Teaching House.
“It’s always important to help the community,” said Todd Hemphill, Reeves Construction's superintendent. “There’s a lot of people in need of help right now, and if there’s anything we can do to help out, we enjoy it. It means a lot for these guys, knowing they’re doing something to help somebody out.”
Volunteers at Charlotte Motor Speedway also packed 200 sensory bags for youth and adult individuals who become over-stimulated by the loud noise, lights and heightened energy at Speedway Motorsports events at Charlotte Motor Speedway, zMAX Dragway and The Dirt Track.