NASCAR wives, girlfriends race Thursday night

The wives and girlfriends of NASCAR drivers, crew members and team owners will get behind the wheel Thursday night in a 25-lap charity race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

It’s dubbed the Better Half Challenge, and it will precede the pole night activities at the track.

The women will be driving the legend cars that are a feature at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the weekly Tuesday night summer programs. Part of the prize money goes to Motor Racing Outreach and to the Speedway Children’s Charities.

Defending champion in the race, which is set for 5 p.m., is Ashley Deihl Stremme, wife of driver David Stremme. Perhaps the best-known competitor Thursday night will be Amy Reimann, girlfriend of Dale Earnhardt Jr.

“I’m about as green as it gets, so I need a little bit of practice,” Reimann said this week. “Dale talked me into it.”

She said Kelley Earnhardt Miller, Dale Jr.’s sister, asked her to drive.

“I didn’t really know what the Better Half Challenge was, to be honest,” she said. “I mentioned it to Dale, and he said, ‘Yeah, you’ve got to do it. You’ve got to do it.’ ”

Traffic reminder: With qualifying scheduled Thursday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway for Saturday’s Bank of America 500, motorists can expect extra traffic on Interstate 85 and other routes near the track. Traffic volume likely will build around 3 p.m. and reach a peak around 5 to 6 p.m.

If you’re not going to the speedway, avoid U.S. 29 and N.C. 49 in that area. Motorists on I-85 should avoid using the right lane, which could become congested as fans descend on the track.

Racing Insiders Tour: The NASCAR Hall of Fame will sponsor tours of race shops Thursday and Friday. Thursday’s tour will focus on the Interstate 77 corridor, including Joe Gibbs Racing, Penske Racing and Michael Waltrip Racing. Friday’s will focus on I-85, with visits to Stewart-Haas Racing, Hendrick Motorsports and Roush Fenway Racing.

Tours are from 9:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. For details, check www.racinginsiderstour.com.

Driver appearances: Roush Fenway Racing will hold an open house Thursday at its headquarters, 4600 Roush Place, off Derita Road in Concord. Owner Jack Roush and drivers Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Trevor Bayne will appear at 10:30 a.m.; drivers Greg Biffle and Ryan Reed at 10:45 a.m.; and drivers Carl Edwards and Chris Buescher at 11 a.m.

Marcos Ambrose of Richard Petty Motorsports will appear at 11 a.m. at the Kangaroo Express, 8501 Concord Mills Blvd., Concord

This story was originally published October 8, 2014 at 2:06 PM with the headline "NASCAR wives, girlfriends race Thursday night."