2013 NASCAR ACCELERATION WEEKEND

Crank ’Em Up Gang: Engines Fire On 2013 With NASCAR Acceleration Weekend
Season-Launching Fan Festival Ramps Up Anticipation For 2013

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 3, 2012) – This season’s champion claims his crown in mid-November, and is then regaled during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards in Las Vegas at month’s end. Then, silence. NASCAR’s offseason begins, as does the wait before a season begins anew.

For the second-consecutive year, that wait becomes a bit shorter and fans’ passion gets rewarded a tad sooner. NASCAR announced today the return of NASCAR Acceleration Weekend, a fan-friendly season-launching event that celebrates the past, present and future of the sport. Next year’s NASCAR Acceleration Weekend will again take place at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Charlotte Convention Center from February 8-10, 2013.

The weekend’s activities begin Friday, February 8, with the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2013 induction into the Hall of Honor. The five inductees – Buck Baker, Cotton Owens, Herb Thomas, Rusty Wallace and Leonard Wood – will be honored during a dinner and ceremony at the Charlotte Convention Center. At the same event, Ken Squier and Barney Hall will be presented with the inaugural Squier-Hall Award for Media Excellence for their significant contributions to the success of NASCAR during their distinguished careers as media members.

The following day, Saturday, February 9, the NASCAR Preview 2013 begins at 7 a.m. in the Charlotte Convention Center. Similar to last year’s event, the all-day fan festival will feature autograph and on-stage Q&A sessions by top drivers from all three national series. The event will also include a look at the new 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series cars and paint schemes, interactive displays, giveaways and activities for fans of all ages. The complete schedule, including driver and NASCAR Hall of Famer autograph and Q&A sessions, will be announced at a later date.

On Sunday, February 10, the newly inducted NASCAR Hall of Famers and/or their representatives will be on hand at the NASCAR Hall of Fame for the unveiling of the granite markers on the Ceremonial Plaza. The newly unveiled Hall of Honor exhibits commemorating their careers in NASCAR will also be open to the public.

Tickets for all events during the 2013 NASCAR Acceleration Weekend go on sale Oct. 9, 2012. They are available online at www.nascaracceleration.com or the NASCAR Hall of Fame box office. Fans can purchase tickets to individual events or as a weekend package. Prices range from $20 to $299, depending on event and size of the package.

About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for one of North America's premier sports. NASCAR races are broadcast in more than 150 countries and in 20 languages. In the U.S., races are broadcast on FOX, TNT, ABC/ESPN/ESPN2, SPEED, MRN Radio, PRN Radio and SiriusXM Satellite Radio. NASCAR fans are among the most brand-loyal in all of sports, and as a result more Fortune 500 companies participate in NASCAR than any other sport. NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series™, NASCAR Nationwide Series™, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™), four regional series, and one local grassroots series, as well as three international series. Also part of NASCAR is GRAND-AM Road Racing, known for its competition on road courses with multiple classes of cars. NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races at 100 tracks in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., NASCAR has offices in eight cities across North America. The next NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, the 44th Annual Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, will air Oct. 7 on ESPN at 2 p.m. ET, with coverage starting at 1 p.m. ET with “NASCAR Countdown” on ESPN. For more information and a complete schedule, visit www.nascar.com. Follow NASCAR on www.facebook.com/NASCAR or on Twitter: @NASCAR.

About NASCAR Hall of Fame
Conveniently located in uptown Charlotte, N.C., the 150,000-square-foot NASCAR Hall of Fame is an interactive, entertainment attraction honoring the history and heritage of NASCAR. The high-tech venue, designed to educate and entertain race fans and non-fans alike, opened May 11, 2010 and includes artifacts, hands-on exhibits, 278-person state-of-the-art theater, Hall of Honor, Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant, NASCAR Hall of Fame Gear Shop and NASCAR Media Group-operated broadcast studio. The venue is opened 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. seven days a week and has an attached parking garage on Brevard Street. The five-acre site also includes a privately developed 19-story office tower and 102,000-square-foot expansion to the Charlotte Convention Center, highlighted by a 40,000 square-foot ballroom. The NASCAR Hall of Fame is owned by the City of Charlotte, licensed by NASCAR and operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority.