At the campus of the University of Mississippi Tuesday NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse had the ultimate college experience – Talladega style.
First, the driver of the No. 17 Roush Fenway Ford acted as a professor, educating students in a marketing class about the special $19 College Ticket offer from one of his favorite race tracks – Talladega Superspeedway – for the Oct. 19 GEICO 500.
Later in the day on the practice field, the Olive Branch, MS, native became an honorary member of the 10th ranked Rebels football squad, a team he has cheered for since being a youngster. Players introduced Stenhouse to a different type of speed as he participated in team drills, including running routes as a wide receiver and catching passes like a seasoned pro.
“There is nothing like racing at Talladega,” Stenhouse, who has five top-five finishes this year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, told the students. “For us as drivers, it’s intense and nerve-wracking, racing inches apart from each other at 200 mph three and four wide. For the fans, it is just pure excitement, nothing they can see anywhere else.”
“With Talladega’s $19 College ticket, all college kids, not just here at Ole Miss, can come watch us race, camp in a designated college area and also attend the Saturday Night Concert. We want to get college kids engaged to come to a fun place like Talladega and I am spreading the word. Talladega is a huge party, different from any other venue we go to – both the racing and the atmosphere.”
Students in the marketing class were eager to ask Stenhouse about NASCAR sponsorships, the business aspects of the sport, competition and how it takes nerves of steel to tackle NASCAR’s most competitive and mammoth track in Talladega. After a visit to a fraternity house, he toured the sports facilities with head football coach Hugh Freeze, addressed the team, received a special “Stenhouse” jersey and Ole Miss helmet before heading to the practice field for various workouts with the Rebels, which have started the season at 3-0 with an AP Top 25 national ranking of 10th.
“Being on the practice field with Coach Freeze was really cool,” added Stenhouse, whose best finish at Talladega was a third-place effort in last year’s GEICO 500. “Coach Freeze actually terms his fast, up-tempo plays ‘Talladega.’ It’s very appropriate. The practice was intense, and all about a different type of speed that I am used to. I was thrilled to catch some passes from (quarterback) Bo Wallace, too.”
Stenhouse’s Ole Miss visit coincided with Talladega’s continued increase in its college student population. Over the last year, the track has taken several top drivers to various Universities to create awareness of the happenings at NASCAR’s most exciting venue. Just take a stroll through the track’s campgrounds and infield where flags fly in support of many Universities – Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Ole’ Miss, Georgia, Florida, Florida State – and the list goes on and on.
Not only are the droves of college kids coming to see the most competitive form of motorsports, but also they come to enjoy the “party capital” of NASCAR – the perfect place for all ages of fans – especially college students – to have a great time. Friday’s “Big One On The Blvd” parade, in which Stenhouse will be a participant, kicks off the weekend of enjoyment and entertainment on Oct. 17, with a mardi-gras style event down the infamous Talladega Blvd. in the track’s infield. On Saturday evening, Oct. 18, Talladega Superspeedway’s traditional Saturday Night Infield Concert, featuring country music star Thomas Rhett, will rock the place.
The GEICO 500 is one of the most anticipated races in the history of NASCAR. Termed the “Wild Card” race, the 2014 version of the GEICO 500 will be even more pressure-packed with NASCAR’s new revamped Chase for the Sprint Cup. It will mark the third and final race of the Contender Round in which the field of 12 eligible drivers for the title will be reduced to eight at the checkered flag. If one of the 12 Challengers wins the GEICO 500 that driver will automatically advance to the Eliminator Round of eight.
TSS PR
