NASCAR Enlists 14-Year-Old Amelia Conway to Direct New NASCAR Acceleration Nation Spot
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Apr. 28, 2017) –- In search of a director to oversee filming for its latest NASCAR Acceleration Nation television creative, NASCAR® turned to a 14-year-old rising star in advertising.
Amelia Conway of Temecula, Calif., developed the treatment and directed Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™ driver Austin Dillon in the new spot promoting the sport’s national youth platform.
The 30-second ad, titled “Tutelage,” (watch below) debuted today online and will air beginning this weekend during the Richmond races on FOX and FS1.
“As a filmmaker, Amelia is a special talent and we loved her vision for this project,” said Jill Gregory, NASCAR senior vice president and chief marketing officer. “She represents the youth audience that is important to our sport, so having that unique perspective guide the creative process for us was invaluable.”
Born in California and raised in rural Texas, Conway began acting and performing at an early age and in 2014 was signed to Adolescent Content, a youth-focused production agency. She’s directed several music videos and short films, and recently shot commercials for Target, Toms Shoes and Beats Music.
Conway was introduced to NASCAR through 77 Ventures, its agency partner on the 2017 season launch campaign and, more recently, the NASCAR Acceleration Nation work.
“Tutelage” is set in a school classroom, where child teachers explain the aerodynamics principles of drag and drafting to a seated audience of students including Dillon, driver of the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet SS.
“I really appreciate how NASCAR is including kids like me in the sport,” said Conway. “I’ve always liked working with kid actors, but working with Austin Dillion was an awesome experience. Being on the set and learning about how race teams use STEM technologies to help their drivers was fascinating, and I think NASCAR Acceleration Nation will inspire other young people like me to do what they love.”
Launched in 2015, NASCAR Acceleration Nation engages the next generation of NASCAR fans by creating fun, entertaining and educational ways for kids to interact with the sport. Through a partnership with Scholastic, NASCAR-themed learning materials are taught in more than 10,000 schools across the country.
The learning materials are grounded in Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) and include lessons and activities on energy and the NASCAR 3 D’s of Speed – Drag, Downforce and Drafting.
The NASCAR Acceleration Nation app is the sport’s first app experience created just for kids featuring racing-themed games, activities and fun ways to learn about NASCAR. Parents can download the app for their children at the App Store and Google Play.
AccelerationNation.com features games and activities inspired by various elements of the sport. Kids can test their math skills with Flash Cars and play RaceFlex, an interactive racing game.
NASCAR Acceleration Nation is one part of the industry’s ongoing commitment to young fans, and every race weekend there are fun and interactive activities for children including kids’ clubs, kids’ zones, driver autograph sessions and more.
Beginning this year, kids ages 12 and under are admitted free for all NASCAR XFINITY Series™ and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series™ races.
Discounted youth tickets are also available for many Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series events. Kids ticket information is available at NASCAR.com/kidstix.
Earlier this season, NASCAR and Disney announced that rising star drivers Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Daniel Suárez and Darrell Wallace Jr. have joined legends Jeff Gordon and Richard Petty as character voices in Disney-Pixar’s “Cars 3” movie, opening in theaters nationwide on June 16.
NASCAR Acceleration Nation is being featured as part of the “Cars 3” Road to the Races tour, currently traveling the country to celebrate the film.
The Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway will begin at 2 p.m. ET on April 30. The race will be broadcast live on FOX, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (channel 90) and MRN, with additional coverage on NASCAR.com.
