NASCAR Star Denny Hamlin Visits South Florida Museum
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – One of the top drivers in NASCAR was in South Florida on Tuesday, visiting the Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale.
Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Toyota Camry and one of the contenders in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship, enjoyed a day of fun at the museum with several Broward County high school students.
Along with Hamlin, the Solar Cats Racing Team from Western High School in Davie and students from the school's STEM program were also at the museum, taking part in the fun engaging activities and interactive exhibits.
Also joining the group was Miss Sprint Cup, Julianna White, who serves as an official public figure for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
The large group took part in a tour of the facility which included the 'To Fly' exhibit with a 7D MaxFlight simulator.
The Solar Cats Racing Team recently built a fully functional solar-powered car. They competed at the Solar Car Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway in July.
Hamlin got a lesson in Solar Car racing from the team, including the intricacies of the car and even a test drive through the streets of downtown Fort Lauderdale.
"I tell you, Western High School's really done a good job of getting kids who are really enthused about building this solar car and when I hear them explaining the ins and outs of it and what they've put into it, you can tell that their passion is making their car fast and making their car go as long as they can because they want to perform well when that competition comes around in July," Hamlin said. "It's my first experience driving a solar car at all. It's very cool to see what technology can do nowadays and how smart these guys are."
Hamlin will begin competing in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup this weekend. The chase's first race takes place at the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. Hamlin is currently ranked 11th in the NASCAR standings.
The chase culminates at the Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 22nd, where a champion will be crowned.
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