PHILADELPHIA (April 12, 2017) – Pocono Raceway, Dover International Speedway and Comcast are coming together for the second year in a row to bring NASCAR to the city in a major way for the NASCAR XFINITY Philadelphia Takeover. For the entire day of Tuesday, May 9, fans are invited to join the NASCAR stakeholders for numerous events at key locations across Philadelphia, celebrating the sport in advance of upcoming races near Comcast headquarters, the NASCAR XFINITY Series™ entitlement partner, at Pocono and Dover.
Most notably among the day’s festivities, Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™ and NASCAR XFINITY Series cars from participating teams JR Motorsports, Roush Fenway Racing and Richard Childress Racing will be taking over the city streets during the midday hours, making a pit stop in front of Philadelphia City Hall and putting on a show for fans along the way. A large cast of drivers from the NASCAR XFINITY Series will be spread across the city throughout the day, visiting the Franklin Institute, Reading Terminal Market, Thomas Edison High School and Philadelphia Phillies game that evening.
A star-studded lineup of drivers is expected to be in attendance for the day, including Ryan Reed, Darrell “Bubba” Wallace, Jr., William Byron, Michael Annett, Justin Allgaier, Brandon Jones, Daniel Hemric, Ben Kennedy, Brennan Poole, Cole Custer and Blake Koch.
New for this year, fans are invited to participate in an expanded fan fest, located at the Comcast Center on the front plaza. Amidst activities for all ages, they can meet with the top NASCAR XFINITY Series stars and celebrate NASCAR’s takeover of the city for the day. Throughout the entire day, families will have the opportunity to receive free tickets to the upcoming NASCAR XFINITY Series races at Dover International Speedway and Pocono Raceway. In fact, kids ages 12 and younger are admitted free to all NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races, making it easier for families to create memories at the racetrack.
“We’re thrilled to bring together so many valuable partnerships within NASCAR for one big celebration at Comcast headquarters,” said Matt Lederer, Executive Director, Sports Brand Strategy, Comcast. “Our involvement in the sport is something we take great pride in at Comcast, and pulling off another major event like this with Dover, Pocono and NASCAR is a testament to the health of this sport and all who are involved. We know that our local economy benefits from fans coming to the area for this day, and for the upcoming events at Pocono and Dover.”
Back-to-back race weekends at nearby venues in the month of June will give fans from the Philadelphia area and beyond the opportunity to see their racing heroes following the NASCAR XFINITY Philadelphia Takeover. First, the NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Dover International Speedway on June 3, followed by the Pocono Green 250 at Pocono Raceway on June 10.
“We are looking forward to making a splash in Philadelphia with our friends from Comcast and Pocono Raceway in advance of our upcoming race weekend,” said Mike Tatoian, president and CEO of Dover International Speedway. “We know that the NASCAR fanbase in Philadelphia is sizeable, and passionate, and we are thrilled to bring the stars of the NASCAR XFINITY Series to town before they hit the track.”
“We are really excited about our second takeover of my hometown of Philadelphia,” said Pocono Raceway President and CEO Brandon Igdalsky. “Between all of the visits to area places, the laps around the city and the live pit stops at City Hall it will be an incredible day. We started a great event last year with Comcast and now with the help of Dover, we have made it even better, including a fan event. We hope to see everyone May 9th in Philadelphia.”
Fans are encouraged to follow along with the events of the day via social media and use #XFINITYTakeover to join the conversation. On Twitter, @XFINITYRacing, @PoconoRaceway, @MonsterMile and @NASCAR_XFINITY will all carry updates, along with Pocono Raceway and Dover International Speedway on Facebook.
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