The 2016 NASCAR Drive for Diversity (D4D) Driver Combine, sponsored by Honda Generator, will take place October 10-12 at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway, Rev Racing announced today.
NASCAR and Rev Racing competition directors and staff will host the multi-day tryout to evaluate multicultural and female drivers from around the globe, and identify which drivers will have the opportunity to compete as part of the 2017 D4D driver class.
This is the first year New Smyrna Speedway will host a D4D combine. The high-banked half-mile has seen visits from several Rev Racing drivers during the season-opening NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race each February, including a win by current NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Daniel Suarez in 2014.
New Smyrna Speedway is a NASCAR Whelen All-American Series track and hosts the annual World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing each February. The track will also host the Hart to Heart Breast Cancer Foundation Super Late Model 100 on October 29.
Each year, D4D host tracks and sponsors have contributed greatly to the success of the combine event.
“We have watched the diversity program for years and are excited to the host the combine this year,” said Kim Brown, general manager of New Smyrna Speedway. “I believe it will bring a lot of exposure to the track as well as the city of New Smyrna Beach.”
Honda Generators will also come on board this year as the primary sponsor of the 2016 NASCAR Drive for Diversity Combine. Honda Generators has been a long-standing season sponsor of Rev Racing through a product exchange program with the race team since 2014. Honda’s series of portable generators will be part of the track-side action – providing the crew and drivers durable and dependable power throughout the entire combine.
In addition to the on-track performance evaluations that will take place at New Smyrna Speedway, the combine participants will be evaluated on physical fitness by pit crew coach Phil Horton at nearby Bethune-Cookman University.
Bethune-Cookman will make its athletic facilities available for Coach Horton and staff to test both the endurance and strength of athletes hoping to secure a spot on the 2017 NASCAR D4D driver roster.
Additionally, Rev Racing and NASCAR staff will work with Bethune-Cookman mass communications students for a hands-on learning exercise engaging combine participants. The students will conduct mock media interviews with the athletes and also take part in social media activities and broadcast opportunities from New Smyrna Speedway during the combine.
Rev Racing continues to look for opportunities to improve the D4D combine and driver experience, as well as engage other institutes that hold the same values and diversity initiatives.
“We are extremely proud of the relationships that we have fostered with our various partners,” said Rev Racing owner, Max Siegel. “We look forward to continuing these relationships and look for areas of growth for many years to come. The new 2016 combine partners will not only benefit the participants, but offer a new experience to repeat participant drivers.”
This year’s 2016 combine sponsors will include, Honda Generators, New Smyrna Speedway, Five Star Race Car Bodies, Bethune-Cookman and host hotel Perry’s Ocean Edge Resort. Rev Racing also thanks Drive for Diversity partners NASCAR, Sunoco and Goodyear for the continued support during the combine and the entire 2016 season. It is through the positive relationships with partners and sponsors that Rev Racing is able to experience success year-in and year-out.
For more information on sponsorship opportunities, please contact Christy Gormal at [email protected].
About Honda Generators
Honda Power Equipment, a division of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., markets a complete range of outdoor power equipment, including generators, lawn mowers, pumps, snow blowers, tillers and trimmers for commercial, rental and residential applications, outboard marine engines and general purpose engines. Its comprehensive product line is powered exclusively by four-stroke engines.
About New Smyrna Speedway
New Smyrna Speedway is a NASCAR sanctioned asphalt track that is 0.48 of a mile in length, located near New Smyrna Beach, Florida in Samsula. New Smyrna Speedway races various divisions from Super Late Models to Bombers every Saturday night from March to November and hosts the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing every February and the Florida Governor’s Cup 200 every November. New Smyrna Speedway strives to be fun for the entire family.
About Bethune Cookman University:
Founded in 1904 by Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, Bethune-Cookman University (B-CU) today sustains her legacy of faith, scholarship and service through its relationship with the United Methodist Church and its commitment to academic excellence and civic engagement. B-CU offers 38 degrees on its main campus and online college. Located in Daytona Beach, B-CU is one of three private, historically black colleges in the state of Florida. The institution boasts a diverse and international faculty and student body of nearly 4,000. For more information, visit http://www.cookman.edu/.
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