Walmart Puts NASCAR Fans in the Driver’s Seat at Pocono

It's always exciting when fans are allowed to help decide on things in their beloved sport - first it was the Sprint Unlimited format, and now Walmart, paired with Pocono Raceway and NASCAR, is allowing fans to be put in the driver's seat at Pocono for the "Fan Driven 400" on June 9, 2013.   

You're probably wondering what this means, right?  Starting today through May 27, 2013, fans can submit their ideas and vote via Walmart's Local Facebook pages (click here) to decide the official race name, a signature concession, and the pace car design.  How cool is that?  I don't know about you, but deciding all of this seems pretty fun to me. 

Deadlines for voting:

• The Race Name Submission (2/14-2/25):  You can submit a name for the race
  (a maximum of 32 characters).
• The Race Name Vote (3/11-4/8):  Three race name finalists will be chosen and then you get to vote on your favorite one. 
• Concession Item (4/8-5/6):  You can vote for one of three types of pierogies via the Pocono Fan Council.  (This has to be my favorite thing we get to choose.)
• Pace Car Design (5/6-5/27):  You can vote for one of three designs for the Pace Car via the Pocono Raceway. 

Even though this sounds great, it's about to get better; 16,000 Concourse Grandstand tickets to the "Fan Driven 400" will be $25 each at www.Walmart.com/NASCAR or through Pocono Raceway at www.PoconoRaceway.com. 

Finally, Walmart is once again offering its $99 Walmart Family Track Pack for 2013, which includes four race tickets, four hot dogs, and four sodas, saving you more than $100, and can be purchased at www.Walmart.com/NASCAR or at a participating Walmart.  The races that this Track Pack will be available at are:

• Kobalt Tools 400, Las Vegas - March 10
• California Auto Club 400, Fontana - March 24
• Bojangles Southern 500, Darlington - May 11
• NASCAR Sprint Cup All-Star Race, Charlotte - May 18
• Coca-Cola 600, Charlotte - May 26
• Dover 400, Dover - June 2
• Quicken Loans 400, Michigan - June 16
• Coke Zero 400, Daytona - July 6
• Lenox Industrial Tools 301, New Hampshire - July 14
• Pennsylvania 400, Pocono - August 4
• Cheez-It 355, Watkins Glen - August 11
• Pure Michigan 400, Michigan - August 18
• AdvoCare 500, Atlanta - September 1
• Sylvania 300, New Hampshire - September 22
• AAA 400, Dover - September 29
• Bank of America 500, Charlotte - October 12
• Ford 400, Homestead - November 17

Personally, I think this is a great way for NASCAR fans to get involved in our great sport!  If you have a Twitter, follow @Walmart, @WalmartNewsRoom, @NASCAR, and @PoconoRaceway.