DAY OF SERVICE
Speedway volunteers tackle projects across Cabarrus
Pit crew members volunteered at Wings of Eagles Ranch, helping build a rolling communication board to support the organization's mission during the 2027 Summer of Service.
A member of the pit crew helps stock Blessing Boxes across Cabarrus County with donated food, toiletries and other everyday essentials during Summer of Service.
Charlotte Motor Speedway's STEAM team visits with students at north Kannapolis Elementary School.
Speedway volunteers work on the inclusive playground at Shuffletown dragway.
Speedway volunteers provide music at one of the Cabarrus County LunchPlus sites.
CONCORD — More than 60 Charlotte Motor Speedway employees and partners traded their usual jobs for community service Wednesday, tackling projects ranging from storm cleanup and food deliveries to working with elementary students and local seniors.
The annual Day of Service brought together 64 volunteers from Charlotte Motor Speedway, The Speedway Club, Performance Racing Network, Speedway Children's Charities and Levy Restaurants.Organizers said the volunteers contributed a combined 314 hours at locations across Cabarrus County.
The effort was part of Speedway Motorsports' broader Summer of Service initiative and continues a tradition of community volunteer work that organizers say stretches back more than 15 years.
"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," said Susan McKee, Speedway Motorsports Pit Crew coordinator.
Working at Wings of Eagles Ranch
At Wings of Eagles Ranch, which offers therapeutic horseback riding programs for youth and families, volunteers cleared trees and debris and worked on landscaping around the property. They also assembled and installed a communication board provided by Channing's Joy, a nonprofit that works to make public spaces more accessible for people with communication challenges.
McKee said volunteer groups can make a significant difference for nonprofits that have limited staffs and large properties to maintain.
"There are dozens of acres 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," McKee said.
North Kannapolis STEAM program
Other volunteers headed to North Kannapolis Elementary School, where they introduced students to Charlotte Motor Speedway's mobile STEAM program.
The hands-on program uses motorsports to teach concepts involving science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. Wednesday's activities offered students a preview of a program scheduled to formally launch in September through a partnership with chemical company BASF.
North Kannapolis
Elementary Principal Lauren Dobbins said the visit was particularly fitting during the first full week of school because the school emphasizes hands-on learning.
"Engagement is everything, especially when it's aligned to the instruction and content that they're supposed to be learning," Dobbins said. "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."
Serving at LunchPlus Clubs
Speedway volunteers also visited two Cabarrus County LunchPlus Clubs, where they prepared and served meals, provided entertainment and played games with seniors.
Elsewhere in the county, volunteers delivered more than 140 meals to homebound residents through Cabarrus Meals on Wheels. They also stocked nearly a dozen community Blessing Boxes with more than 300 pounds of donated food, toiletry kits and other necessities.
Inclusive playground at Shuffletown
Wednesday's Day of Service followed another volunteer effort earlier this summer at Shuffletown Park in Mecklenburg County.
Charlotte Motor Speedway and community partners helped with a new inclusive playground at the park, located on the former site of Shuffletown Dragway. The project was 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 CocaCola Company.
The playground was designed both to provide an accessible space for children and families and to recognize the property's motorsports history.
