Axalta Coating Systems will help kick off a weekend of exciting festivities for the 59th annual DAYTONA 500 while celebrating the new Axalta Center Injector.

Beginning with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for children with cognitive or physical disabilities, Axalta and the other DIS Founding Partners will custom-fit cars so that the children can “race” in the famed motorsports stadium in their own sit-in cars.

Axalta is making this event possible in partnership with GoBabyGo!, a national program from the University of Delaware that empowers children with disabilities to become independently mobile through the use of custom-fitted motorized vehicles.

Employees from Axalta and other Founding Partner organizations of Daytona International Speedway will work meticulously in Axalta’s new Center Injector to retrofit motorized toy cars for 12 toddlers aged 5 and younger who have challenges freely moving on their own. With assistance from Florida Hospital, GoBabyGo! has selected children from the Daytona Beach, FL. region to participate in this event.

This event will provide a very heartwarming and memorable sequence of life-changing moments for the children and their families. Prior to the vehicle build, children and their families will participate in an exclusive meet-and-greet with Jeff Gordon, four-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion and three-time DAYTONA 500 champion. Once the vehicles are completed and decorated by the injector teams, the children will “drive” their custom vehicles for the first time as they ride along the Axalta red carpet to the finish line. Every child will be presented with a Teddy Bear in a NASCAR-styled fire suit at the completion of the race.

“We are humbled and honoured to celebrate the opening of the Axalta Center Injector at the Daytona International Speedway by offering children and their families this unforgettable experience,” said Joe McDougall, Axalta Senior Vice President. “To watch the children navigate their new, custom rides in a renowned location on race weekend in our new Center Injector, will truly create an incredible memory for all of us.”