PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

Staff Report

MIAMI – Homestead-Miami Speedway is continuing its commitment of inspiring students to become champions in the classroom through creative writing.

Recently, the organization partnered with the Omari Hardwick bluapple Poetry Network of the Jason Taylor Foundation to kick off the second annual “Write Track Poetry” competition with a pep rally at Gateway Environmental K-8 Learning Center in Homestead.

The event, which hosted more than 450 middle school students, provided students with an entertaining avenue to get excited about creative writing and literacy through poetry with a focus on NASCAR.

Students were shown videos from past partnerships of the program and were then treated to spoken-word performances from members of the bluapple Poetry Network.

The Write Track Poetry program inspires students to put pen to paper and compose poems. This year, students from 13 Miami-Dade County middle schools will submit a poem based on the topic, “What is Your Legacy?”

As part of this year’s competition, the top three poetry pieces in each grade (6-8)

from all 13 schools will be awarded two tickets to the NASCAR XFINITY Series Ford EcoBoost 300 championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday, November 18.

The school with the highest percentage of participation will receive a donation from Homestead-Miami Speedway’s charitable outreach program, “Driving for a Cause.”

Of the 13 schools, the top-three poets overall will have the unique opportunity to be driven to school in the HomesteadMiami Speedway Official Pace Car.

At the conclusion of the competition, one of those top-three poets will be given the chance to have their piece professionally recorded, produced and played prior to the start of the Ford EcoBoost 300.

The winners will be announced Oct. 23.