NASCAR Driver Denny Hamlin Visits Museum of Discovery and Science

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Homestead-Miami Speedway and NASCAR are driving full speed ahead as the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series kicks off this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. To commence the playoffs, Homestead-Miami Speedway and the Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale teamed up today to host Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Toyota Camry and one of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series contenders, for a day of fun and engaging activities with Broward County high school students.

Hamlin will be competing this weekend in the first race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup which ultimately culminates at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 22. He visited the Museum of Discovery and Science with the Solar Cats Racing Team from Western High School in Davie, as well as students from the STEM program at Western High School. The group took part in a tour of various exhibits throughout the Museum, including the ‘To Fly’ exhibit with a 7D MaxFlight simulator, a group photo in front of the Megalodon shark, and a Q&A with the students from Western.

The Solar Cats Racing Team recently built a fully functional solar-powered car and competed at the Solar Car Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway in July where they were judged by the distance the car ran and whichever team completed the most laps around the track won.

On Tuesday, the Solar Cats Racing Team taught Denny Hamlin the intricacies of the car, and also let him drive the car through the streets of downtown Ft. Lauderdale.  The group was joined by Miss Sprint Cup, Julianna White, who serves as an official public figure for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Sprint.

“I tell you, Western High School’s really done a good job of getting kids who are really enthused about building this solar car and when I hear them explaining the ins and outs of it and what they’ve put into it, you can tell that their passion is making their car fast and making their car go as long as they can because they want to perform well when that competition comes around in July,” Hamlin said. “It’s my first experience driving a solar car at all. It’s very cool to see what technology can do nowadays and how smart these guys are.”

The appearance was part of NASCAR’s Chase Across North America tour, which previews the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. NASCAR’s playoffs — the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup — is a 10-race culmination to the season that crowns a battle-tested champion. Starting with a 16-driver field, four drivers will be eliminated after every three races, setting up a “winner take all” championship showdown at Homestead-Miami Speedway Nov. 22 (3 p.m. ET on NBC). The top finisher among the Championship 4 in Miami will win the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.

“You know you’re at the final race and this is a big one when you come through the tunnel,” Hamlin said. “It was a great feeling last year to roll through the tunnel and see your picture on the Championship 4 and, as a driver it really fuels you to be there as the Championship 4 and you want to be in the discussion for a championship when you get to Homestead. I feel like I’ve won there twice, but no bigger win would come if I won it and still had a chance to win a championship. It’s one of those tracks where it can be your best friend or it can break your heart.”

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