DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (October 4, 2022) – NASCAR and the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) announced today the renewal of their collaboration which will continue to offer science and STEM instructional materials for K-8 science teachers across the United States. The racing-themed science lessons will remain available free of charge to educators nationwide on NSTA.org.

New this school year, teachers will have access to six unique NSTA Daily Do lesson plans, which are sensemaking tasks teachers can use to engage students, will focus on sustainability as it relates to the sport of racing. The resources provide opportunities for students to figure out science ideas, enact science and engineering practices, and consider the crosscutting concepts found in the Next Generation Science Standards.

The collaboration between NASCAR and NSTA, the global leader in promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all, is designed to arm educators with fun and engaging content and activities for teaching science and STEM.

“STEM is a fundamental component of the sport, and we’re thrilled to renew our partnership with a group of enthusiastic science educators and professionals,” said Pete Jung, Chief Marketing Officer, NASCAR. “These lessons provide educators an opportunity to teach science, inspired by real scenarios while introducing NASCAR to a new generation of fans.”

During the first year of the relationship between NASCAR and NSTA, educators from across the country were able to access 18 racing-themed lesson plans and a STEM at the Track resource guide featuring an additional three activities through a landing page available on NSTA’s website.

“To help cultivate an interest in STEM, it is critical for students to have the opportunity to explore real-world phenomena that are exciting and relevant to their lives. The free resources provided through this collaboration help support K-8 educators as they build bridges between their curriculum and applications of STEM,” said Erika Shugart, Ed.D., Executive Director, NSTA. “We are thrilled to continue our work with NASCAR to provide educators with high-quality instructional materials that serve as a springboard to higher student engagement and achievement.”

Science teachers provided feedback at the end of the school year expressing their appreciation for being able to teach science using real-life scenarios. They also mentioned that the material was presented in a context students can use and apply.

Through its relationship with NSTA, NASCAR was able to bring elementary and middle school students and teachers to The Clash at the Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. Each student and staff/teacher had the opportunity to receive two (2) tickets to the inaugural race. NSTA used a geo-targeted list and sent to schools within a 100 miles radius of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 16 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR consists of three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour), one local grassroots series (NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series) and three international series (NASCAR Pinty’s Series, NASCAR Peak Mexico Series, NASCAR Whelen Euro Series). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).

About NSTA
The National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) is a vibrant community of 40,000 science educators and professionals committed to best practices in teaching science and its impact on student learning. NSTA offers high quality science resources and continuous learning so that science educators grow professionally and excel in their career. For new and experienced teachers alike, the NSTA community offers the opportunity to network with like-minded peers at the national level, connect with mentors and leading researchers, and learn from the best in the field.

Contacts
For NASCAR:
Marielkis Salazar
NASCAR Communications
(386) 274-9165
msalazar@nascar.com

For NSTA:
Kate Falk
National Science Teaching Association
(703) 312-9211
kfalk@nsta.org