Pocono Raceway announced today they will become the first motorsports facility in North America to house an inclusive playground in their infield. The playground will be designed for children of all ages and abilities to learn, grown and play together. Once built, the nearly 5,000 square foot playground will be recognized as a National Demonstration Site, making it one of top 100 inclusive playgrounds in the country. The playground will be another amenity available to race weekend camping and Infield Block Party guests. It will also be open to local residents and track visitors to use throughout the spring, summer and fall months free of charge.
The playground, which is located on a soft-play area, includes several key inclusive elements. The ‘rock and wave’ is a rocker which is designed for wheelchair access and seating for the respective caregiver. The ‘turn across’ is an element which provide upper-body strength conditioning as they use a hand peddler to move a platform back and forth. The ‘parallel play’ aspect will allow for side-by-side play among children in a wheelchair and those who do not require one. The playground will be designed to allow wheelchair-bound children to access all elements without leaving their chairs and will feature multiple shaded areas for children who struggle with sensory disorders.
Please visit www.poconoraceway.com/playground to see a video and photos of the designed mockups of the playground.
“This project is near and dear to our company’s core values of integrity, respect, growth and community,” said Pocono Raceway CEO and Mattioli Foundation Director, Nick Igdalsky. “People who have known about the project prior to today’s announcement have asked us, ‘Why an inclusive playground?’ Our response was ‘Why not?’ We chose to build and open a playground for kids of all ability levels.”
The inclusive playground will be a permanent structure located along Earnhardt Road and inside ‘The Tricky Triangle’s’ infield. The playground will be available for public use when the Gate 1 Tunnel entrance is operational for all non-private events at the Raceway. It will also be available for camping and Infield Block Party guests during the 2018 Pocono 400, Overton’s 400 and ABC Supply 500 race weekends.
The playground is scheduled to be open to the public prior to the June NASCAR race weekend. Exact dates will be announced later this year. Once it is open, guests can contact our Operations Department at 570-643-7184 for playground hours of operations. For 2018 event tickets and camping information, fans are encouraged to visit www.poconoraceway.com.
Pocono Raceway PR
