Speed Street: 5 ways to enjoy uptown’s celebration of racing
Eating, drinking and listening to music are all great, but wouldn’t you like to spend a few minutes becoming a love beacon?
Alongside the food vendors, musical acts and other attractions of the Circle K and Kangaroo Speed Street presented by Coca-Cola, which opens Thursday, the street fair will host the Revlon cosmetic company’s nationwide Love Is On campaign. Another new draw: the PNC Speed Street 5K.
Uptown’s celebration of car racing couldn’t have reached its 21st annual edition if it stayed the same. This year’s Speed Street not only has a new lead sponsor – the Circle K and Kangaroo retail chains – but a sprinkling of fresh activities. Here are five new Speed Street experiences:
Burn off some calories
Fitness will enter the Speed Street world at 8 a.m. Saturday with the inauguration of the PNC Speed Street 5K. The run starts on Tryon Street, heads over to West Boulevard and turns back uptown to end at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. After the adults hit the streets, youngsters will take off on the Kids 600 Yard Fun Run circling the Hall of Fame. Register at speedstreet5k.racesonline.com.
Get dolled up
The Revlon Love is On Pop-Up Shop will offer makeovers, manicures and beauty consultations. A photo booth will tie in with Revlon’s #LOVEISON social media campaign, giving participants a chance to have their pictures flashed in New York’s Times Square.
See if Fido can match this
Lo and behold, there’s a second NASCAR, the National Association for Specialized Canine Agility Racing. In the Classic K-9 NASCAR Speed Dog Show 15 or so canine athletes race, do tricks and perform comedy routines with musical accompaniment. Shows will be at 1, 3 and 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
Show off how much you can eat
If simply grazing at Speed Street’s food-and-drink vendors isn’t enough for you, test your capacity for stuffing yourself in the Blazin’ Wing Challenge hosted by Buffalo Wild Wings at 5 p.m. Friday. At 6 p.m. Sunday, Speed Street will again host the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, a qualifying round for the national contest July 4 on New York’s Coney Island.
Try out an aluminum truck
Test drives of new cars are a regular Speed Street feature, and this is the first festival since Ford revamped its F-150 truck. Take a test drive and see what you think of the new design with the aluminum body.
Speed Street
When: Noon-midnight Thursday-Saturday.
Where: Tryon Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in uptown Charlotte.
Admission: Free.
Details: www.600festival.com/speed-street.
Thursday: Race drivers signing autographs include Donnie Allison, Jeremy Clements, Ernie Irvan, Ross Kenseth, Joe Nemechek and Taylor Stricklin; music acts include Appetite for Destruction, a Guns and Roses tribute band and Departure, a Journey tribute band.
Friday: Events include Blazin’ Wing Challenge sponsored by Buffalo Wild Wings; drivers signing autographs include Justin Boston, Spencer Gallagher, Sean Corr, Ben Kennedy and Ryan Reed; music acts include country rock band Parmalee and country singer-songwriter Corey Smith.
Saturday: Events include Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest; autograph zone features Kid Karters Sam Corry, Danny Dyszelski, Caleb Gafrarar, Damian Gutierrez and Jeff Rolewicz; music acts include Craig Wayne Boyd, winner of TV’s “The Voice,” and Dennis DeYoung and the music of Styx.
This story was originally published May 19, 2015 at 2:04 PM with the headline "Speed Street: 5 ways to enjoy uptown’s celebration of racing."