Youth Social Network Rocket21, Roush Fenway Racing, and Charlotte Motor Speedway Announce “Dream at the Races” Essay and Video Contest Winner

Youth Social Network Rocket21, Roush Fenway Racing, and Charlotte Motor Speedway Announce “Dream at the Races” Essay and Video Contest Winner is High School Senior Who Dreams of a Future as a “World-Class NASCAR Engineer”. Rocket21, (the only social networking platform designed to safely connect kids and teens with professionals and experts representing industries, professions, passions, and movements that span the globe), joined with Roush Fenway Racing and Charlotte Motor Speedway to announce that Connecticut high senior Kaitlyn Camp is the Grand Prize winner of an essay and video contest that leveraged the appeal and engagement of NASCAR to help kids consider the importance of teamwork in their everyday lives – and their futures.

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Rocket21 Dream Big at the Races Competition

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I'm extremely thankful for Rocket21. With their amazing opportunities I am now able to get an inside peek into NASCAR racing – something that brings me the most joy,” said Grand Prize Winner, Connecticut high school senior Kaitlyn Camp.

San Francisco, New York, Charlotte (PRWEB) May 25, 2012 

The Rocket21 competition invited kids and teens under 18 to consider what fuels THEIR passions, what teamwork means to them, and what kind of competitor they are – or would like to become. Ms. Camp and her family will attend the HISTORY 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at the historic Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina on May 26th. While there, Camp will spend time with Roush Fenway Racing drivers, crew chiefs, and more – to learn about the sport from an insider’s perspective.

“I'm extremely thankful for Rocket21. With their amazing opportunities I am now able to get an inside peek into NASCAR racing – something that brings me the most joy,” said Kaitlyn Camp.

“The video and essay entries kids submitted to our contest conveyed a rich understanding of what it means to be an effective team member, “said Mark Grayson, Rocket21 CEO. “We were inspired by their sincere, creative, interesting, and funny thoughts and reflections.”

NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Trevor Bayne, the youngest winner in the history of the Daytona 500, are key players in the Rocket21 program and will be on hand to meet Ms. Camp.

“It’s fantastic that this contest helped to show kids that racing – even at the highest level of the sport – really is a TEAM sport. We’re delighted that our winner has a tangible goal – mechanical engineering – as an idea of how she may one day contribute professionally to the field of racing,” noted Steve Newmark, president of Roush Fenway Racing. “We’re excited to meet Kaitlyn – and love that we have a platform to share some of Roush Fenway’s tradition of winning with the Rocket21 community.”

“Charlotte Motor Speedway is always searching for ways to engage young race fans and it didn’t take much convincing for us to jump at this creative partnership opportunity with Rocket21,” said Adrian Parker, Director of Communications at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “The HISTORY 300 is the perfect event for these kids to get acclimated to NASCAR and discover the importance of teamwork in the NASCAR garage. We are thrilled for Kaitlyn and know she will be captivated by the behind-the-scenes, V.I.P. treatment she’ll enjoy this weekend. And, worth noting: ALL kids 13 and under can get in free to the HISTORY 300 with a paying adult.”

For more information about the Rocket21, “Dream Big at the Races” Competition, click here.

About Roush Fenway Racing :

Roush Fenway Racing is the winningest team in NASCAR history, fielding multiple teams in the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series with championship drivers Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Trevor Bayne. Celebrating 25 winning years in 2012, Roush Fenway is the leader in NASCAR marketing solutions, pioneering its exclusive Roush Fenway OnTrack sponsorship measurement services, motorsport’s first team-focused TV show and its award-winning social marketing channel RickyvsTrevor.com.

Visit http://www.RoushFenway.com, become a fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/roushfenway and follow on Twitter at @roushfenway. For sponsorship inquiries call John Bauersfeld at 704.720.4621.

About Charlotte Motor Speedwa:

Tickets for the HISTORY 300 and Global RallyCross double header at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 26, start at just $25 and kids 13 and under get in free with a paying adult. Tickets can be purchased by calling the speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS (3267) or online at http://www.charlottemotorspeedway.com.

For daily updates on May race activities, connect with Charlotte Motor Speedway by following on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/CLTMotorSpdwy or become a Facebook fan at http://www.facebook.com/charlottemotorspeedway.

For more information contact the Charlotte Motor Speedway communications department at 704-455-3209.

Rocket2:

Rocket21 is the only social networking platform designed to safely connect kids and teens with professionals and experts representing industries, professions, passions, and movements that span the globe. Rocket21 provides unprecedented access to world-class experts and organizations while protecting them with a combination of state-of-the-art, real-time filtering and human moderation, extensive safety and security precautions, and a specialized infrastructure designed to keep kids safe.

Like Rocket21 on Facebook and follow @Rocket21 on Twitter.

For more information contact Media Relations at media(at)rocket21(dot)com.

Jeff Gordon's Other Passion: Helping Kids

Jeff Gordon opens up about racing
and his other passion: helping kids 

 CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The smallest and the youngest cling to their pacifiers and their blankets. The oldest discuss the details of chemotherapy that never seems to end.

Grabbing one of the IV bags beside his bed, a patient says, “This is Ifosfamide. This is a weird one.”   They all cling to hope that comes from the visitor who cares—NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon.

“You're a fighter. That's what it takes,” Jeff Gordon told a young patient.  “Each child deserves a happy and healthy life…and if there's one child that doesn't make it, it's one too many.”

So much in Jeff Gordon's world is big—horsepower, the introductions, the success. So when he started his children's foundation, he drove it all the way to Africa.

“In Rwanda, children are dying of cancers that they should not be, that are very easily curable and treatable,” he said.

Now he is bringing that mission home.

A new partnership between the Jeff Gordon's Children's Hospital and the renowned Levine Children's Hospital in Charlotte means more visits and more patients.

With the focus treatment, research and quality of life, Gordon’s foundation zeroes in on young cancer patients who need help. 

“That's what drives me. When I've had those one-on-one experiences. See what they're going through, and see the successes and the failures.  That's what drives me to want to continue to do more,” he said.

Posing for photos, Gordon gives young patients a break and a souvenir.

“It's a privilege for me to get a chance to meet the kids and their families. And, you know, I just hope that it makes an impact in a way that helps them out in some way, somehow,” he added.

Their struggles against cancer often last years. These are the times that can't last long enough.  In the next room, Gordon offers encouragement.

“Brandon, you're not going to give up either, right,” Gordon asked one patient.

“No, way,” the boy countered.  “Thank you for coming."

“You're very welcome,” Gordon smiled and nodded.

The smallest and the youngest still cling to their pacifiers. And that extra dose of hope that comes from the visitor who cares.  

by GREG BAILEY / NewsChannel 36 Staff

More than 16 million kids have some sort of dental disease; a number Greg Biffle hopes to reduce. (Give Kids A Smile)  

   

Getting kids to smile
one mouth at a time

Biffle turning personal experience into positive with 'Give Kids A Smile'       

Greg Biffle, currently the Sprint Cup Series points leader, answers this week's six questions.

1. Prior to last Saturday's Capital City 400 at Richmond International Raceway, you participated in the "Give Kids A Smile" program that resulted in nearly 400 children getting free dental health care at the track. Why are you so passionate about this?

Biffle: I don't want to tell the kids, but when I was growing up I should have gotten braces then. My brother and I both wrestled in high school and when you're wrestling, having braces is not a good thing. I was 13, 14 years old. It was my turn -- but I was absolutely not getting braces. I refused. I waited until I was old to get them.

“Once you start learning and get educated about it, you're kind of amazed it's gone so unnoticed.

Kids' dental health has gone under the radar. It's important.”

-- GREG BIFFLE

I'm so happy now that I did it. It's nice to have your teeth right. ... And as it turns out, I would have been way happier wrestling with braces on than driving a car with them on. To have that helmet squeezing your cheeks, your mouth gets real sore.

2. And the braces you wore were made by your sponsor, 3M, right?

Biffle: Yes, it was a 3M braces system that they have. Actually, I'm glad I did wait -- because over time they invented the braces system, with a wire that snaps in and allows teeth to move side to side, keeps them aligned. Permanent wires are bonded to back of teeth now. I got my braces removed last year about this time.

3. Did anyone in the garage make fun of you for wearing braces at 40-plus years of age?

Biffle: You would think people would give you a hard time about it, but they didn't. Maybe a few fans, but you're always going to have that.

4. So this program is something you can really identify with personally?

Biffle: I'm blessed to have sponsors who allow me to be part of this. It's very important to me, anything that can improve the health of the kids. Dental and general health care are a big part of 3M's business, and 3M is a big supporter of the Henry Schein [Inc.] organization and the American Dental Association, which put on the free screening and free care for the kids through this Give A Smile program. So it's pretty neat.

It's a great thing they're doing. It's most important to educate the kids. The kids have the decision to pick up the toothbrush as well, so we're trying to stress the importance of dental health and educate them on what it's about. There are over 16 million kids that live with dental disease. There are so many things you probably don't know about. Once you start learning and get educated about it, you're kind of amazed it's gone so unnoticed. Kids' dental health has gone under the radar. It's important, and I learned about it through this program.

5. Being first in points for much of this season and winning at Texas sure has put a smile on your face. What's been the key?

Biffle: Better preparation, being prepared for the weekends. The cars are better coming out of the shop. I've got a new group of guys, a new crew chief in Matt Puccia, a new over-the-wall crew. A different guy calling the race. It's all those things.

In our sport, it's never any one big thing, it's a dozen small things. It's kind of funny because one thing can keep you from running competitive. So you have to get them all right. Last year we were fixing them one at a time, and we never could get there. I noticed it at the end of the season, but Matt couldn't come in and fix it all at one time. And they didn't want Matt fixing too much because they knew the dynamics of the company [at Roush Fenway Racing] were going to change. They were like, 'Hold on.' But when the season was over, he got carte blanche to do what he felt he needed to do to make our team competitive.

6. Do you like more or less flying under the radar?

Biffle: Yes. There's a lot less pressure. Look how many people keep asking Dale Earnhardt Jr. when he's going to win his next race. That's every week that I see it.

The expectation level when you're not that focus -- when the flashbulbs aren't going off every time you walk in a room -- well, then I can over-deliver and everybody's happy. That's starting to change, though, with the more success we have and the more attention people start to pay to us.

You always look to see what you can do to try to stay ahead of the curve. Even when you win, you wonder when is the next time you're going to win. It's not necessarily being worried, but making sure you're paying attention. ... If you want to keep smiling, don't get complacent.

By Joe Menzer, NASCAR.COM
May 01, 2012 1:54 PM, EDT