Building on the company’s core tenant of making a positive impact on the communities it serves, Speedway Motorsports' Pit Crew traded day-to-day responsibilities for volunteer work throughout Cabarrus County on Wednesday as part of its annual Day of Service. Volunteers from Charlotte Motor Speedway, The Speedway Club, Levy Restaurants, Performance Racing Network and Speedway Children's Charities joined together to lend a helping hand at several locations, with more than 64 volunteers dedicating 314 hours of service across the region. 

Volunteers spread across four organizations, helping clear storm debris, engage with local seniors, bring Charlotte Motor Speedway's mobile STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) program to elementary students. 

AT A GLANCE: 

  • At Wings of Eagles Ranch, which provides therapeutic horseback riding opportunities for youth and families, volunteers assembled and installed a communication board provided by Channing's Joy. Team members also cleared trees and refreshed landscaping throughout the property. 
  • At North Kannapolis Elementary School, volunteers brought learning beyond the classroom through Charlotte Motor Speedway's STEAM program. The hands-on experience showcased how motorsports can inspire curiosity in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics while giving students an exciting preview of the program, which officially launches in September through a partnership with BASF. 
  • Volunteers also spent the day serving at two Cabarrus County LunchPlus Clubs locations, where they prepared and served lunch, provided entertainment and spent time playing games with local seniors, creating meaningful moments of fellowship and connection. 
  • Additional Service Day projects included delivering more than 140 meals to homebound families through Cabarrus Meals on Wheels and stocking nearly a dozen Blessing Boxes throughout the county with more than 300 pounds of donated food items, toiletry kits and other nonperishable necessities. 

The Summer of Service initiative began earlier this summer when Charlotte Motor Speedway joined community partners to help create the new inclusive playground at Shuffletown Park. The playground was built through a collaborative effort led by Cunningham Recreation and Play 4 All, with support from Coca-Cola Consolidated, NASCAR, Partners for Parks, Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation and The Coca-Cola Company. Located on the former site of the historic Shuffletown Dragway, the playground honors the area's racing heritage while creating a welcoming space for children and families for generations to come. 

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING:

Susan McKee, Speedway Motorsports Pit Crew coordinator 

“One of our core principles at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Speedway Motorsports is to positively impact our community and this is a way to do that. For more than 15 years ,we’ve been giving back to our community. We come out to various local non-profit organizations and provide a variety of services.

“There are dozens of acres (at Wings of Eagles Ranch) that require maintenance, and with the small staff that they have here, if organizations like Charlotte Motor Speedway didn’t come and lend a hand, there are things that wouldn’t get done.”

STEAM, Lauren Dobbins, North Kannapolis Elementary School principal

“Having the team here from Charlotte Motor Speedway from the first full week of school means everything  as a STEM School of Distinction, our students embrace and look forward to  hands-on experiences, and we don’t wait until later in the year to get that started; it starts day one.

“Engagement is everything especially when it's aligned to the instruction and content that they’re supposed to be learning. And today, not only are they getting their hands dirty and having fun with it, but they’re also learning how it connects to the real world and seeing how it’s applicable in the race world.”

Through the Summer of Service, Speedway Motorsports’ Pit Crew has continued to demonstrate that the impact of teamwork extends far beyond the racetrack. From supporting local nonprofits to creating meaningful experiences for students, seniors and families, volunteers have put their passion for helping others into action throughout the community.