Talladega Superspeedway today unveiled the newest addition to the one-of-a-kind Talladega Garage Experience, a brand-new kids coloring board, giving ’Dega’s littlest fans another reason to get pumped about the track’s upcoming tripleheader NASCAR weekend, April 24-26.
Kids will get the opportunity to color and create their own masterpieces on the 4 by 8 foot coloring board that will be located near the Kids Zone playground area in the Talladega Garage Experience, which debuted to rave reviews in October. The coloring board, which is a hand-drawn mural of iconic images (like John Ray’s big rig truck, Vulcan Trophy, Military Flyover, and much more) of historic Talladega Superspeedway, was created by Jasper, AL native and owner of SarahOMaryDesigns, Sarah Roberts.
“Having a wide range of opportunities for families and kids to enjoy while visiting during race weekend is a top priority here at Talladega Superspeedway,” said Brian Crichton, who is in his first full year as president of the 2.66-mile venue. “Over the years, we have been able to constantly grow our kids’ initiatives with items such as our Kids VIP program and Kids Movie night, as well as offer special kid’s pricing. The kids coloring board is a great addition to our Kids Zone in the Garage Experience, and we are thankful to Sarah for creating it.”
Roberts’ creative design continues the tradition of the local flair that is spread throughout the Garage Experience’s 140,000 square foot area. Race fan and Hueytown, AL native Angela Collins was the recreation consultant who collaborated on the playground that was constructed in the Kids Zone last fall that features a poured, in-place race track, a kid’s size race car, a play tower, swings, slides, and more.
“We made sure we also incorporated a lot of kid-friendly things that would get them excited like the flags, the trophies and things like that,” said Roberts, a 25-year-old University of Alabama graduate with degrees in both Advertising and Graphic Design who grew up loving NASCAR. “The camping was a big thing, too, since it’s a big part of Talladega. I looked through many photos and used my memories of watching racing at Talladega when I was a kid, and then we picked out key elements that we wanted to include in the mural.
“It’s an honor to have your work on display at such an iconic venue and to have kids enjoy it. It’s very cool, and I can’t wait to come to see it in person with all the kids coloring on it in April. It’s going to be great.”
Other items families can enjoy in the Talladega Garage Experience include $4 or less value-priced concessions, Game Zone, Entertainment Stage for local music, Driver Q&As and other interviews, social areas, Gatorade Victory Lane celebrations post-race in Fr8Auctions Celebration Plaza, Sunday pre-race ceremonies and Driver Introductions at the Start-Finish line, and much more!
Additionally, kids 12 and younger receive special pricing to the Talladega Garage Experience (Fri: $9; Sat: $19; Sun: $39, plus weekend packages), and also gain FREE admission on Friday for the General Tire 200 ARCA Menards Series event (April 24) and Saturday for the MoneyLion 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race (April 25). They also get $50 off regular price grandstand and tower seats for the April 26 GEICO 500, starting as low as $15.
“It’s all about the guest experience as we move forward,” added Crichton, who has been in the sport of NASCAR for 20 years, including the last 10 at NASCAR’s Most Competitive and family-friendly track. “We will make sure that experience for that guest is second to none, and they are getting the information they need ahead of time so that they can arrive well-informed. As everybody knows, this property is massive, and so to be able to provide accurate information is key. They can partake in anything that they want to that is happening here at the racetrack, and then providing experiences like the Talladega Garage Experience, it’s a completely new level. Add this to the incredible competition we have here, we’re excited about 2020 and beyond.”
Families who have access to the Talladega Garage Experience on Sunday (April 26) also have the option to go behind-the-scenes at the biggest track in NASCAR and participate in the Kids VIP Experience presented by Children’s of Alabama, a track program since 2016. These exclusive “pre-race” options for children 12 and under include:
- NEW! Fist Bump Alley backstage at Driver Introductions
- NEW! Gatorade Victory Lane Celebration
- Fist Bump Alley along the catwalk at Driver Introductions
- Gatorade Victory Lane photo opportunity
- Hot Lap around the mammoth track in a Grand Marshal car
- Guided Garage/Hauler Tour
- Drivers Meeting Red Carpet Experience
- Pit Box Tour with a race team
The youngsters can choose one of the eight experiences on a first-come, first-served basis once at the Kids Station (opens at 8 a.m. CDT), which will be located near the Kids Zone. There is a two-kids, per-one adult limit.
For all things Talladega Superspeedway and the Talladega Garage Experience, log onto www.talladegasuperspeedway.com or call 855-518-RACE (7223).
TSS PR
