NASCAR stock cars roared through Center City Charlotte during the lunch rush hour Monday as Charlotte Motor Speedway officially kicked off Bank of America 500 race week with a high-octane "Laps Around Uptown" procession.

Fifteen NASCAR stock cars and speedway pace cars, provided by Roush Fenway Racing, Toyota Racing and the NASCAR Racing Experience, brought smiles to the faces of hundreds of onlookers as they made their way from the NASCAR Hall of Fame through the heart of the Queen City.

NASCAR broadcasters Kyle Petty and Wendy Venturini took part in the fun, which was emceed by Performance Racing Network President Doug Rice and Miss Sprint Cup Julianna White at the corner of Trade and Tryon streets.

Up next, the fun moves to the Charlotte Motor Speedway complex for NASCAR Night Wednesday, Oct. 7 at zMAX Dragway. The free fan event begins at 6 p.m. with a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series hauler parade down the Bellagio of drag strips. Following the parade, NASCAR drivers and team members will try their hand a straight-line racing down the quarter-mile drag strip in their personal vehicles.

Fans can catch all the action surrounding the only Saturday night race in the Chase, including Bojangles' Pole Night on Oct. 8, the NASCAR XFINITY Series Drive for the Cure 300 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina on Oct. 9 and the Bank of America 500 on Oct. 10 with weekend packages starting at just $99.

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