Brad Keselowski roared into uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, on Tuesday for Charlotte Motor Speedway's "Laps around Uptown" parade of race cars, show cars and Legend Cars previewing Sunday's Bank of America 500. The spectacular parade leads into a full weekend of NASCAR fun, including Bojangles' Pole Night and the Drive for the Cure 300 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina.
Keselowski, the 2013 Bank of America 500 winner, drove his No. 2 Alliance Truck Parts Ford Fusion behind Toyota Camry pace cars for Saturday's Drive for the Cure 300 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and Sunday's Bank of America 500. Keselowski - whose wife, Paige, drove her Bandolero in the parade to preview Friday's Better Half Dash- wasn't shy about putting the bumper of his Ford to a pace car as the colorful line of cars circled through uptown Charlotte.
"It's always an interesting feeling of trying to put on a show but trying to not get arrested," Keselowski said of his active involvement in the parade. "We had some fun on the streets of Charlotte. Seeing everybody's faces as you go by is pretty incredible."
NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Garrett Smithley also took part. Smithley will compete in the Drive for the Cure 300 presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina on Sunday.
"It was super fun," Smithley said. "Anytime you get to drive a race car on the street, it's a weird feeling but it's a good feeling. It's kind of like we're 'unleashing the beasts' in these race cars."
TICKETS:
Fans can buy tickets to this weekend's Bank of America 500 by calling 1-800-455-FANS (3267), visiting the ticket office or accessing http://www.charlottemotorspeedway.com/tickets/. Adult Bank of America 500 tickets are also good for admission to Saturday night's Brad Paisley concert at zMAX Dragway presented by Wrangler and Nationwide and saluting the JR Nation Appreci88ion Tour.
KEEP TRACK:
Fans can connect with Charlotte Motor Speedway by following on Twitter and Instagram or become a Facebook fan. Keep up with all the latest news and information with the Charlotte Motor Speedway mobile app.