JT Moore, Music City Motorplex to host Read to Race Events on Friday and Saturday

The Music City Motor Sports Institute will host Read to Race events on Friday, May 9 at JT Moore Middle School and on Saturday, May 10 at the Music City Motorplex as the education and reading based initiative continues to positively impact students in Metro Nashville schools.

The Read to Race program was introduced last fall at Isaac Litton Middle School in Nashville as students arriving for the first day of school were greeted by race cars and Motorplex drivers in the parking lot (and during a school assembly). Isaac Litton students who read a set number of books were honored at a special “Night of Champions” at the Motorplex last September.

In 2008, the program has been expanded to three Metro Nashville schools—Isaac Litton Middle School, JT Moore Middle School and Smithson Craighead Academy elementary school.

JT Moore Middle School will host a Read to Race event on Friday, May 9 at 11:30 am as Motorplex Late Model driver Skip McCord will visit the school, dressed in his racing suit. McCord and representatives of the Read to Race program will talk with students about racing and summer reading goals. During McCord’s visit, free tickets for the Saturday night, May 10 “Read to Race Night at the Music City Motorplex” will be distributed for JT Moore students and their families.

“We are excited to welcome Skip and the Read to Race team to JT Moore on Friday and we are looking forward to having our students attend this weekend’s races at the Motorplex as part of the Read to Race Night on Saturday,” said Jill Pittman, JT Moore Principal. “The Read to Race program is having an enthusiastic reception by our students and we look forward to continuing to build our relationship with the Motor Sports Institute and the Motorplex through this most beneficial program. We also greatly appreciate the generous contribution of funds used to purchase books for our school by Dollar General under the Read to Race program.”

Free Read to Race Night tickets (for Saturday, May 10) also have been distributed this week to the students and their families at the other two participating schools—Isaac Litton Middle School and Smithson Craighead Academy elementary school.

The Read to Race students in attendance at the Motorplex on Saturday night will be acknowledged during the evening’s races which begin at 6:30 PM.

Read to Race is the first program offered by the Music City Motor Sports Institute, a charitable initiative led by Joe Mattioli, President of the Music City Motorplex, MaryAnne Howland, President & CEO of IBIS Communications and Esther Bailey-Bass, Corporate Support Representative for Nashville Public Radio.

The Motor Sports Institute seeks to motivate and inspire students to achieve academic success with an educational platform of learning, discovery and fun in the motor sports industry.

The Motor Sports Institute currently is completing its registration as a non-profit entity and, upon completion, will be in position to offer to the Nashville business community and individual supporters the opportunity to contribute to its efforts to reach out to as many students as possible.