Dale Earnhardt Jr. to appear at Speedway Children's Charities NASCAR Driver Auction March 7 at Sam's Town Live!

LAS VEGAS Feb. 8, 2013; NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr. will appear at the Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities’ annual NASCAR Driver Auction on Thursday, March 7, at Sam’s Town Live! inside Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall. Earnhardt Jr. will participate in a question-and-answer session with FOX Sports analyst Chris Myers during the event. NASCAR fans have voted him “Most Popular Driver” for 10 consecutive years. The driver of the Hendrick Motorsports AMP Energy Chevrolet SS has earned 19 Sprint Cup Series wins, his first coming on April 2, 2000.

Fans will have the opportunity to bid on the ride of a lifetime – to meet with and ride around the speedway with their favorite NASCAR Sprint Cup Series or NASCAR Nationwide Series hero during the pre-race driver introduction lap for the Kobalt Tools 400 or Sam’s Town 300. (The winning bidder must be at least 18 years of age to ride with their driver.)

Doors will open at 5 p.m. Admission is free and seating is limited.

Attendees also will have the opportunity to bid on many silent auction items throughout the evening, including memorabilia autographed by Jimmie Johnson.

The charity event will kick off NASCAR Weekend in Las Vegas. Racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway begins on Friday, March 8 with Stratosphere Pole Day. The NASCAR Nationwide Series takes center stage on Saturday, March 9 with the annual Sam's Town 300 at 1:15 p.m.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 400 is scheduled to start at noon on Sunday, March 10.

For more information about the NASCAR Driver Auction and Speedway Children’s Charities, please call Paulette Anderson at (702) 632-8242 or e-mail SCC LV at panderson@lvms.com.

Making a difference in a child’s life is the focus of Speedway Children’s Charities. SCC strives to do this in collaboration with the non-profit organizations it supports nationwide. Individually, SCC’s local chapters identify the needs of children in their communities and award grants to organizations that address them. Since its inception in 1999, Speedway Children’s Charities has granted more than $2.5 million to local children’s causes.