Texas Land & Cattle to Host NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge Week And NASCAR Day Pre-Race Party and Celebration on May 18

To commemorate NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge Week activities and celebrate NASCAR Day on Friday, May 18, Speedway Children's Charities has partnered with Texas Land & Cattle restaurant and Kat Country 96.9 (WKKT) for an "early-bird" dinner and pre-race party at the restaurant's Speedway Blvd. location.

Between 2 and 6 p.m., race fans heading to Lowe's Motor Speedway for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race and qualifying for the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge can stop by the newly opened restaurant for a $10 dinner special. The menu includes smoked sirloin, smoked BBQ chicken, mashed potatoes, ranch house beans, Caesar's salad and bottled water, ice tea or soda. One hundred percent of the proceeds benefit the Charlotte chapter of the Speedway Children's Charities.

Kat Country on-air morning personality Paul Schadt will be on hand for a live remote from 3 to 5 p.m. Schadt is also the popular host of the nationally syndicated zMAX Racing Country radio program.

The event will also feature the popular All-Star and Coca-Cola 600 driver auctions starting at 4 p.m. The winning All-Star bidder will do a "meet and greet" photo opportunity with their driver while the top bidder for the Coca-Cola 600 will ride with their driver, in a Toyota Tundra pickup truck, during the pre-race driver parade lap. Fans will also be able to purchase an official NASCAR Day Pin ($5) and enter "Wear & Win" giveaways or bid on NASCAR memorabilia. Local band Sweatin Bullets will perform throughout the afternoon.

Texas Land & Cattle is located off of I-85 Northbound (Exit 49). Turn right on Speedway Blvd. and then take the first right. Proceed straight to the restaurant, located at 7779 Lyles Lane (phone (704) 510-0021). The event is open free to the public. For information, contact Amanda Hollingsworth at (704) 532-3318.

Speedway Children's Charities provides funds to organizations that meet the direct needs of children. From mentoring programs to camps for special-needs children, they best affect children's lives by supporting organizations that worked tirelessly to see that children's needs are met and that no child is left behind regardless of illness, social environment or disability.