Texas Motor Speedway’s “Speeding To Read” Educational Program

2014-15 Edition

The mission of Texas Motor Speedway’s “Speeding To Read” program is to utilize motorsports, its drivers

and our races to incentivize elementary school children to read more frequently and enrich their

educational experience and future.

MISSION STATEMENT

"That was a really fun experience with all the kids. To see them get all excited about something maybe when you are growing

up that you think 'Ah man, I have to read,' but they (TMS) make it fun and rewarding for the kids and it teaches them how

to read. That's definitely been a highlight of the week to see them cheering so much. They made me feel like I was Taylor

Swift up there or something."

RACING STAR DANICA PATRICK

“Speeding To Read” is an incentive-based, motorsports-themed reading program created by Texas Motor

Speedway in 2011 to encourage elementary school students to read more frequently during the school year.

Reading guidelines have been established by elementary school principals to coincide with their reading programs.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Student bodies are split into two divisions – kindergarten through second grade and third through fifth grade – with individuals, classrooms and schools

competing against each other to read the most books and earn the title of “Speeding To Read” champions.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

At each of the four turns (or quarters during a school year), TMS provides trophies or plaques to the top individuals, a

year-round plaque for each school to recognize their top K-2 and 3-5 classroom through each turn and a giant

perpetual trophy to the school leading the competition to display at their school until the next quarter.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Quarters are based off key dates in the racing & TMS schedule to represent the four turns of a race track.

Two major award assemblies at TMS – traditionally during race weeks – will now move to a Sept. kickoff

and May championship awards finale.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

TMS partnered with Northwest ISD’s Clara Love Elementary of Justin for the pilot program with its 625 students and faculty in the 2011-12 school year. The program expanded to three NISD schools in 2012-13

(Clara Love, Justin, Hatfield) with a total student body of approximately 1,500.

PROGRAM GROWTH

Program expanded to 11 schools in 2013-14, consisting of nine NISD schools and pilot programs in

the Denton ISD (Argyle’s E.P. Rayzor) and Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD (Fort Worth’s Chisholm Ridge),

and involved more than 6,500 students in eight different communities.

PROGRAM GROWTH

As a result of the expansion, “Speeding To Read” was split into three divisions (Frontstretch, Backstretch, Pit

Road) with the schools being matched by demographics and school size to keep all competitive.

PROGRAM GROWTH

For 2014-15, TMS is scheduled to have seven elementary schools participating that encompass more than 4,500 K-5 students and four school districts. Those participating are

Roanoke, Nance and Thompson (Northwest), Rayzor (Denton), Riverside Applied Learning Center and Carroll Peak

(Fort Worth), and Eagle Mountain (Eagle Mountain/Saginaw).

PROGRAM GROWTH

In the 2011-12 pilot year, Clara Love, with 625 students and 29 classrooms, read more than 83,000

books and 96% of the students met or exceeded their reading goals.

RESULTS

In 2012-13, Clara Love, Hatfield and Justin elementary schools, with a combined student body of 1,500, read

283,208 books. Co-champions Clara Love and Justin had 97% of its students meet or exceed their reading goals while Hatfield was at 91%. Initial goal of school

administrators was a combined 80%.

RESULTS

In 2013-14, the 11 schools combined to read 1,020,027 books and the winning school – Roanoke Elementary – had 97% of its student body reach or

exceed the reading goals. Of the 11 schools, six bettered 83% and all but one was above 78%.

RESULTS

To give an indication of the reading prowess of the top students in 2013-14: K-2 individual champion read

4,605 books; K-2 classroom champions read 24,833 books; 3-5 individual champion read 453 chapter

books; 3-5 classroom champions read 3,569 chapter books.

RESULTS

NASCAR drivers serve as special guests at the student awards assemblies for Turns 2 & 4 at TMS to further

motivate the students to read more frequently. Drivers serve as trophy presenters, conduct Q&A with

the student body, pose for photos with the top individuals and classrooms.

NASCAR DRIVER INTEGRATION

Participants have included six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, four-time Sprint

Cup champ Jeff Gordon, Sprint Cup stars Danica Patrick and Kyle Busch, Nationwide Series star Elliott

Sadler and Camping World Truck Series champ and Plano native James Buescher.

NASCAR DRIVER INTEGRATION

Integration also has included additional benefits and prizes to the students through the driver sponsor

relationships such as Jeff Gordon partnering with Dr. Seuss’ Cat in the Hat and Danica Patrick with Sonic

Hedgehog.

NASCAR DRIVER INTEGRATION

Honored 2013-14 overall champion Roanoke Elementary with an INDYCAR driver visit despite the NASCAR theme. Titled the

Victory Lap Celebration by the school, four drivers visited during June race week for Q&A, modified field day events

with students and pizza party. Every student received tickets for the Firestone 600 Verizon IndyCar Series race.

ADDITIONAL DRIVER INTEGRATION

For 2014-15, INDYCAR officially will join NASCAR in the program and will provide drivers, assets and be

transitioned into the Speeding To Read theme and logo. INDYCAR drivers will be part of the

championship awards as well as a visit to the school of the overall champions.

ADDITIONAL DRIVER INTEGRATION

All students and faculty receive “Speeding To Read” t-shirts with 50% of the cost being covered

compliments of Texas Motor Speedway’s Speedway Children’s Charities and program sponsors. For 2014-

15, the t-shirts will cost participating schools approximately $1.75 each.

STUDENT/FACULTY INCENTIVES

Texas Motor Speedway provided thousands of frontstretch tickets to students and faculty for their

marquee NASCAR Sprint Cup and Verizon IndyCar Series races as well as the NASCAR Nationwide Series

and Camping World Truck Series events.

STUDENT/FACULTY INCENTIVES

Individual leaders received trophies at each turn; each school is provided a plaque to display prominently the top K-2 and 3-5 classroom at each turn; individual champions

from every school earned plaques; teachers of the top classrooms in each division earned trophies and top school

earned the opportunity to display the perpetual trophy.

STUDENT/FACULTY INCENTIVES

More than 2,000 books were donated to top individuals and school libraries from “Score A Goal In The Classroom” and ADBO Publishing Company and

both will be returning in 2014-15.

STUDENT/FACULTY INCENTIVES

The “Speeding To Read” champion school receives a free pizza party for the entire student body and

faculty compliments of Domino’s.

STUDENT/FACULTY INCENTIVES

Additional incentives in 2013-14 included TMS merchandise, race programs, autographed items by

NASCAR drivers, NASCAR die-casts and backpacks full of NASCAR merchandise as well as season passes and

admission tickets to Six Flags Over Texas.

STUDENT/FACULTY INCENTIVES

Spin Master & NASCAR partnered with TMS for a “Design A Die-cast” program where students who met

their reading goals had the opportunity to design a stock-car paint scheme. The winner had an actual show

car unveiled with their paint scheme and received a shadow box with an actual die-cast with the design.

STUDENT/FACULTY INCENTIVES

Teachers from the K-2 and 3-5 champion classrooms receive a massage or facial treatment from TMS’ Speedway Club and

four race tickets; principal of the champion school earns Speedway Club dinner for two, a spa treatment and four race

tickets; principals of the other two division champs receive dinner for two and four race tickets.

STUDENT/FACULTY INCENTIVES

• Wednesday, Sept. 10 – Kick-off event at TMS with all schools and NASCAR driver as special guest; official start of the competition begins that day.

• Turn 1 – Scoring period Sept. 10-Oct. 17 followed by in-school award assemblies; possible NASCAR driver visit to top school during AAA Texas 500 race week (Oct. 29-31)

KEY DATES

• Turn 2 – Scoring period from Oct. 20-Jan. 9 followed by in-school assemblies; may look to have a “virtual” visit by NASCAR or INDYCAR driver for top school.

• Turn 3 – Scoring period Jan. 12-March 13 followed by in-school assemblies; possible NASCAR driver visit to top school during Duck Commander 500 race week (April 9-10).

KEY DATES

• Turn 4 – Scoring period from March 16-May 11; championship awards assembly at TMS on Monday, May 18, or Tuesday, May 19, with INDYCAR driver as special guest.

• Victory Lap Celebration – Visit to school of STR champions with INDYCAR drivers during Firestone 600 race week on either Wed., June 3, or Thurs., June 4.

KEY DATES