Before the four-wheeled titans of NASCAR rumble around the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL™ in the Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 on Sept. 30, race fans can join sports luminaries in touring the ROVAL™ and supporting the community with a two-wheeled thrill ride unlike anything else. The inaugural Gibbs Cycles Charlotte event on Sept. 24 not only kicks off Bank of America ROVAL™ 400 race week - it also raises money for Game Plan For Life, a field ministry program founded by Joe Gibbs Racing team owner Joe Gibbs.
Daniel Suárez, one of Gibbs' four drivers to chase ROVAL™ glory just six days after Gibbs Cycles Charlotte, will join Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Ray Lewis, professional motocross racer Kyle Peters and renowned cyclist George Hincapie in taking part. The event begins at 9 a.m. with a Toyota Camry pace car leading the field onto the ROVAL™.
"We're really excited about our Gibbs Cycles Charlotte event to benefit the North Carolina Field Minister Program, which is something I'm very passionate about," Joe Gibbs said. "It seems like the passion for cycling continues to grow, not only with our employees at JGR, but across the entire racing community, and this event is unique in so many ways. For starters it provides an opportunity to race on the ROVAL™ before our drivers even get the chance! Plus, some of the routes allow you to ride past several race shops. I'm so appreciative of the Smith family and everyone at CMS for their involvement as well as the other race teams that have come on board to support us."
Participants can choose to join in by selecting one of three routes: the yellow flag route consists of seven laps around the speedway; the red flag route is a 36-mile trek past Hendrick Motorsports with a stop at Joe Gibbs Racing headquarters before returning to the speedway; the green flag route is made up of a 76-mile route visiting Hendrick, JGR, Kyle Busch Motorsports and Stewart-Haas Racing.
All proceeds raised from Gibbs Cycles Charlotte will go to the North Carolina Field Minister Program, a ministry run by Game Plan for Life. Cyclists can register through the day of the event.