Kids enrolled in YMCA camp complete STEM activities for NASCAR field day

By the time race weekend arrives at Iowa Speedway, the kids who participated in the Speediatrics Fun Day Festival will have reached their own finish line.

The full week of fun and learning and fitness at the Newton YMCA will culminate in a field day at the racetrack and a meet-and-greet with NASCAR drivers. Kids will also get to take home a free T-shirt and a pair of brand new running shoes.

Eric Peterson, president of Iowa Speedway, said up to 150 kids will take part.

“Speediatrics is a major program,” Peterson said of the event, which is facilitated through the NASCAR Foundation. “…It’s the charitable arm of the NASCAR family. Last year we did an event up in Iowa City through the hospital where we did a donation to the children’s wing of the hospital, which was really impactful.”

Seeing everyone have fun and have a good time is Peterson’s favorite part about hosting race weekends at the Iowa Speedway. It is a sentiment that also extends to Speediatrics, made possible through the racetrack’s partnership with the local YMCA. There is always that one moment that sums up the whole weekend.

“You see the kid who happened to get down there and meet a driver and get an autograph — that’s a memory for them for the rest of their life,” Peterson said. “We are in the business of entertainment and making memories. Anytime we can do something like that we will jump on that opportunity.”

Speediatrics field day festivities will largely take place at the kids zone of the NASCAR Experience, which is activated all weekend. Young guests can participate in tire changing competitions, see a Cup Series car up close and interact with the drivers who will be making rounds on the track.

“It’s an immersive experience for the kids by being able to see the cars, touch the cars and understand the STEM portion of what NASCAR is,” Peterson said.

To get to that point, campers will have had to finish their YMCA activities, which occurred every morning the week leading up to the first race of the weekend. Erick Zehr, director of operations and marketing at Newton YMCA, said time is split between educational activities and fitness activities.

“In one of the classroom sessions, they learned a little bit about NASCAR and little bit about what the flags mean and meeting the pit crew and what the various pit crew roles are,” Zehr told Newton News in a recent phone interview. “Another session was about nutrition … We have everybody from age 5 to age 14 at the camp.”

Kids are also given pedometers to track their steps and physical activity outside of the camp. Zehr said staff track their steps when the campers return to the YMCA. At the end of the week, that data will be logged to show just how active and fit the kids were during the week.

Zehr suggested the partnership between the Newton YMCA and the Iowa Speedway, which is owned by NASCAR, is vital to the community as a whole.

“To have the NASCAR Foundation come in and say, hey, this is a really good partnership you guys have here, I wonder if this (Speediatrics) would work out, it’s going so well they’re already talking to us being our pre-selected partner for next year,” he said. “This is a really good opportunity to make these connections.”