Each November, Homestead-Miami Speedway crowns champions in all three of NASCAR’s national series. The afternoon of Sunday, Jan. 28, approximately 100 children also had the chance to celebrate like champions during Prestige Imports | Lamborghini Miami’s “Ride2Revive” charity event at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Ride2Revive gave children who are undergoing medical treatment for life-threatening illnesses the opportunity to ride along in exotic cars around Homestead-Miami Speedway’s championship track. The children who participated in the event came from various local pediatric care centers, including Holtz Children’s Hospital in Miami, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood and Chai Lifeline children services in Ft. Lauderdale.
“Ride2Revive continues to be the most special day of the year for the entire Prestige Imports I Lamborghini Miami family,” said Brett David, CEO of Prestige Imports | Lamborghini Miami. “It’s truly a gift for us to watch these children forget about their health issues and just enjoy being kids again. With the help of all of our volunteers, our team and Homestead-Miami Speedway, we were able to make this year the best one yet.”
On hand for the event was local NASCAR development driver Ernie Francis Jr., who grew up and resides in Southwest Ranches. Francis, a four-time Trans-Am champion (2014-17), is one of NASCAR’s rising stars and was selected as part of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program in 2018.
Francis spent the afternoon interacting with the children and giving them hot laps around the track. As well, volunteers from around the South Florida community brought their own exotic cars and gave the children rides through the track’s 14-turn, 2.21-mile road course.
“It’s really awesome being out here and having the opportunity to bring joy to these kids and give them rides around the track,” Francis said. “It’s a really fun event and you can see it makes the kids happy. They keep telling me to take them around the track faster and faster.
You can just tell that they are really enjoying it.”
In addition to thrilling laps around the track, the Homestead Police Department was on site to perform a K-9 show. Throughout the afternoon children participated in many activities including face painting, balloon art, characters, a fun-filled photo booth and a simulator.
The children also had the opportunity to draw on a Lamborghini HURACAN and experience “interactive art” where they added vinyl toppings to a PIZZA LAMBORGHINI created by Jonathan Aizenstat, author and illustrator of children’s books.
For more information on Ride2Revive, visit www.Ride2Revive.org.
