There are several ways to drive around the 10/10ths Motor Club track, including during an Electric Celebrity Pro-Am event, which is a bit unusual but still fun.

Most of the cars displayed and driven around the new track situated next to the Charlotte Motor Speedway are loud and raucous and can be heard from miles away. That’s a huge part of the lure of the area, but the evening events after the Historic Trans Am racing presented onlookers with something a little different. That difference was nothing short of electrifying (pardon my tortured pun).

What is the Electric Celebrity Pro-Am Race?

To be fair, the electric part isn’t actually part of the name, but it’s part of the point going into this interesting and unique racing event. The Celebrity Pro-Am Race, held as part of the Heritage Invitational, paired amateur drivers with racing legends. In order for amateurs to qualify to race in the event, they paid a donation fee to support Speedway Children’s Charities.

The exclusive event gives these amateur drivers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be teamed up with some of the most iconic drivers in motorsports while also supporting a noble cause. These amateurs were paired with:

• Jeff Gordon
• Tommy Kendall
• Katherine Legge
• Patrick Long
• Max Papis
• Kyle Petty
• Scott Pruett
• Boris Said

How did amateurs get paired with these pros?

During an exclusive, invite-only dinner the night before, the amateur drivers were given the opportunity to bid to be paired with their preferred professional racers. With all proceeds going to Speedway Children’s Charities and the A-list of drivers, there weren’t any losers during this event.

What is Speedway Children’s Charities?

This charity organization is dedicated to supporting Charlotte-area nonprofits that serve the needs of children. Through strategic funding and community partnerships, this organization focuses on three critical areas of need for children: providing critical support for vulnerable children facing homelessness, food insecurity, and exploitation. The organization helps ensure access to essential medical care, including treatment, therapy, and disability services.

This charity organization is near and dear to Marcus Smith’s heart and family. Marcus Smith is the CEO of Speedway Motorsports, LLC, and also serves as Chairman of the board of Speedway Children’s Charities. The charity organization was founded by O. Bruton Smith, Marcus’s father, who began the charity in 1982 as a legacy to his son, Bruton Cameron Smith, who passed away at a young age.

Let’s get to the racing

Once pros and amateurs were paired together for the race, the only remaining variables were the cars to be driven. Each team would take turns driving around the 10/10ths Motor Club course in all-electric Porsche Macan Turbos, hence the electric part of the race.

During racing, it was hard for spectators to know that racing had begun because the all-electric Porsche SUVs are basically silent, but they sure are quick. As soon as the first driver hit the first corner and made the tires squeal, spectators who were mingling in the clubhouse knew the event had begun on the track.

The course made more difficult

The new 10/10ths Motor Club track is challenging enough, with several turns over a short road-style course, but during this Electric Celebrity Pro-Am event, it was made more difficult. Cones were set up at various locations along the track to test drivers’ skills even further. This created narrow passages for racers. In some cases, these cones were set to cause drivers to slalom through them to push their steering skills over short distances.

The home team takes the checkered flag

Each race during the Electric Celebrity Pro-Am event consisted of one vehicle on the track at a time. The Porsche SUVs were timed from the start to the finish line, which wasn’t quite a complete run of the short course, but made for some fun, timed runs. As the pairs competed, teams were whittled down until only one remained as the winner.

It shouldn’t come as any surprise that Jeff Gordon and his teammate won the race. While competition was fierce, Jeff has been instrumental in the development of the track and has spent at least some time racing around it before the event. That is, of course, part of the advantage of being part of the home team.

Regardless of who won the race, there weren’t any losers during the event. The proceeds from the bids for team pairings go directly to the charity organization, the amateurs got to be paired with some incredible pros, the electric Porsche SUVs handled the drive masterfully, and everyone had a lot of fun. Altogether, another successful and amazing event and the first of its kind on the 10/10ths Motor Club track.