NASCAR Proud to Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month
Partnership with Hispanic Scholarship Fund; Film Shorts Highlight Latinos in the SportNASCAR will partner with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund to commemorate National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 – Oct. 15) through a new, dollars-per-lap donation program and five new film shorts highlighting Latino contributors to the sport.
In partnership with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, NASCAR will donate $5 for every lap completed by a Hispanic or Latin American driver in one of the U.S. series. The drivers included in the initiative are: Cuban-American Aric Almirola, Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, Brazilian Nelson Piquet Jr., Mexican German Quiroga, Brazilian Miguel Paludo, Puerto Rican Bryan Ortiz, Mexican and Spanish-American Jack Madrid as well as Mexico-born Daniel Suarez. The funds will benefit Latino students pursuing an education in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programs.
“The Hispanic Scholarship Fund is excited about this opportunity to partner with NASCAR and to showcase, through film, outstanding Latinos in the sport of racing. We are pleased that NASCAR shares our commitment to higher education, while inspiring the best in each individual. And we welcome our growing partnership with NASCAR to increase scholarships for talented STEM students,” said Fidel Vargas, President and CEO of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund.
To highlight the contributions Latinos are making to the sport both on and off the race track, NASCAR Productions partnered with Latino director Danny Hastings on a five-part series of film shorts. Hastings is best known for his music videos and documentary-style filmmaking. Aside from featuring drivers, the films also highlights industry personnel, including pit crew member Pedro Martinez, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Co-Owner Felix Sabates, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Official Kim Lopez and Chevrolet Racing Program Manager for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Alba Colon. One new film will premiere on NASCAR.com every week during Hispanic Heritage Month, starting with the first one, titled “The Future,” that features up-and-coming drivers in NASCAR’s regional and touring series.
“Hispanic Heritage Month not only gives us the opportunity to celebrate the contributions Latinos make on and off the track, but also to show our support for the Latino community across the nation”, said Steve Phelps, NASCAR’s chief marketing officer. “Through our partnership with the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, we hope to introduce more students to the many STEM opportunities that exist within our sport.”
Fans can join the conversation online at NASCAR.com/Español and on Twitter @VivaNASCAR.
The next NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is the SYLVANIA 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday, September 22 at 2 p.m. ET, airing on ESPN, Performance Racing Network Radio and Sirius XM Radio.
