Driver Appearances Announced For NASCAR Acceleration Weekend

Reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski and fellow titleholders Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon and Bobby Labonte are among more than 60 drivers from three NASCAR national series set to participate in NASCAR Preview 2013 on Saturday, Feb. 9.

The NASCAR Acceleration Weekend fan event will be held from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Charlotte (N.C.) Convention Center and feature autographs from NASCAR Sprint Cup, NASCAR Nationwide and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers, on-stage Q&As, the opportunity to get a close-up look at the new NASCAR Sprint Cup Gen-6 race car and other special events.

Tickets, priced at $20, are available at www.nascaracceleration.com. A NASCAR Preview ticket includes same-day admission to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

NASCAR Acceleration Weekend begins Friday, Feb. 8 at 7:30 p.m., with the NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Former NASCAR premier series champions Buck Baker, Herb Thomas and Rusty Wallace, championship car owner Cotton Owens and innovative mechanic, crew chief and engine builder Leonard Wood will be the fourth class enshrined.

Tickets to Friday night’s Induction Ceremony start at $45 and can be purchased at www.nascaracceleration.com and the NASCAR Hall of Fame box office.

Eight NASCAR Hall of Fame members will appear at the Hall from 4:00 - 4:45 p.m. on Feb. 8 and sign autographs for those with a NASCAR Hall of Fame ticket. They include Junior Johnson, David Pearson, Bud Moore, Bobby Allison, Ned Jarrett, Dale Inman, Darrell Waltrip and Glen Wood.

NASCAR Acceleration Weekend wraps up Sunday, Feb. 10 with the unveiling of the five NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees’ granite markers. Wallace and Leonard Wood will sign autographs at 10 a.m. for hall ticket holders.

NASCAR Preview 2013 is expected to draw thousands of fans to the Convention Center to meet their favorite drivers. Last year’s event, the first of its kind in Charlotte, was the successful rebirth of what for many years officially signaled the beginning of a new NASCAR season. The 2013 season is exactly one month away and begins with The Sprint Unlimited on Feb. 16 at Daytona International Speedway – the traditional lead-in to the 55th running of the Daytona 500 at 1 p.m. ET on Feb. 24. Both races will be broadcast live by FOX Sports, Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM Satellite Radio.

Reigning series champions in all three NASCAR national series headline the list of drivers confirming their participation in NASCAR Preview 2013. Keselowski will appear at 1:30 p.m. along with NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion James Buescher. NASCAR Nationwide Series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is slotted at 9 a.m.

The Keselowski-Buescher group also includes Danica Patrick, who will seek NASCAR Sprint Cup Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in 2013 along with Stenhouse.

Driver Appearance Times

9 a.m. – 11 a.m. (autographs begin at 9:30 a.m.)
Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Jamie McMurray, Mark Martin, Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Justin Allgaier, Eric McClure, Brian Scott, Timothy Peters, Miguel Paludo and Todd Peck.

10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (autographs begin at 11 a.m.)

Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Carl Edwards, Aric Almirola, Paul Menard, Joey Logano, Hal Martin, Elliott Sadler, Sam Hornish Jr., Jamie Dick, Sean Corr, Brennan Newberry, Ross Chastain and Ron Hornaday Jr. 

Noon – 2 p.m. (autographs begin at 12:30 p.m.)

Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., David Ragan, David Gilliland, Marcos Ambrose, Ryan Newman, Brian Vickers, Johanna Long, Austin Dillon, Michael Annett, Nelson Piquet Jr., Ty Dillon, Joey Coulter, Trevor Bayne and Todd Bodine.

1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. (autographs begin at 2 p.m.)

Brad Keselowski, Danica Patrick, Kasey Kahne, Juan Pablo Montoya, Bobby Labonte, Justin Lofton, John Wes Townley, Regan Smith, Parker Kligerman, Max Gresham, Jeb Burton, Dakoda Armstrong, James Buescher, Michael McDowell and Alex Bowman.