NASCAR's Jeff Gordon to drive show car on campus, visit Creamery April 14

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Gentleman, start your engine! As part of his April 14 appearance on Penn State’s University Park campus, four-time NASCAR Cup Champion Jeff Gordon will drive a replica of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet SS, complete with a specially designed paint scheme. Gordon’s route will end shortly after 4:30 p.m. at the Berkey Creamery with a celebration featuring a contingent from the Blue Band, Penn State cheerleaders and the Nittany Lion (see below for additional details).

The event will kick off a partnership between Penn State and Axalta Coating Systems, a leading manufacturer of liquid and powder coatings based in Philadelphia. The partnership is designed to drive awareness and support for STEM and business education, and will focus on special learning opportunities with Jeff Gordon and his team at Pocono Raceway for students in Penn State’s College of Engineering and Smeal College of Business.

The design unveiled on the 14th will be featured on the car that Gordon drives at the Pocono Raceway in the June 7 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race named the “Axalta ‘We Paint Winners’ 400.” As part of the Penn State / Axalta partnership, a contingent of 100 Penn State students will be on hand at the raceway during the weekend of June 6, where they will  have a chance to tour the garages and learn more about the technology of the cars, attend a presentation session with Alan Gustafson, Gordon’s crew chief, and have dinner with Axalta executives and Gordon. These students will be able to experience up close the impact engineers have on racing, and will receive insights and firsthand perspectives from business leaders.

SEE IT IN PERSON: Members of the public and the Penn State community are invited to stand along the route through campus (detailed below) and come to the Creamery to cheer on Gordon and see the No. 24 car’s new paint scheme!

THE DETAILS

-- 3:30 p.m.: Beginning at 3:30 p.m. on April 14, ample, free parking will be available to the public in the Stadium West lot (directly adjacent to Beaver Stadium) and in the Jordan East lot (directly adjacent to the Bryce Jordan Center). Click here for a map.

-- 4 p.m.: Festivities will begin at 4 p.m. at the Creamery, featuring the Penn State Blue Band, cheerleaders and Nittany Lion. Penn State President Eric Barron, Axalta Chairman and CEO Charlie Shaver, and other dignitaries also will be in attendance. The Creamery’s sales area will remain open for the duration of the event.

-- 4:25 p.m.: Beginning at 4:25 p.m., Gordon and his car will travel on Curtin Road from Shortlidge Road to the Bryce Jordan Center, before making a return trip along Curtin Road to join the event at the Creamery. For a brief time, between 4:20 and about 4:40 p.m., this stretch of Curtin Road will be closed to traffic (lots Yellow H, Yellow R along Curtin Road will be closed during this time; Penn State’s parking office will be in touch with all affected permit holders with additional detail). CATA, Campus Shuttle and ADA Shuttle routes will briefly be diverted around the area during Gordon’s circuit, with service returning to normal as soon as the car is parked at the Creamery.

-- 5:30 p.m.: The event will end by 5:30.

About Axalta Coating Systems

Axalta is a leading global company focused solely on coatings and providing customers with innovative, colorful, beautiful and sustainable solutions. From light OEM vehicles, automotive refinish and commercial vehicles to electric motors, buildings and pipelines, our coatings are designed to prevent corrosion, increase productivity and enable the materials we coat to last longer. With more than 145 years of experience in the coatings industry, the 12,000 people of Axalta continue to find ways to serve our more than 120,000 customers in 130 countries better every day with the finest coatings, application systems and technology. For more information visit http://www.axaltacoatingsystems.com.

About Penn State

Penn State is a major, public Research I university with 24 campuses across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, dedicated to the three-fold mission of teaching, research and service. The University is ranked annually as one of the best universities in the United States and the world. As Pennsylvania’s sole land-grant institution, Penn State educates nearly 100,000 students each year in more than 160 baccalaureate degree programs and more than 160 graduate degree programs. Penn State collaborates with industrial, educational, governmental and agricultural partners to create, disseminate, integrate and apply knowledge that is valuable to society. In each of the last four years, total research expenditures have topped $800 million, placing the University among the nation’s leaders. The Penn State Alumni Association is the world’s largest organization of its kind with 174,000 dues-paying members. The University also includes Penn State Great Valley School of Graduate Professional Studies, Penn State College of Medicine at The Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Penn State Law (University Park), Dickinson Law (Carlisle), Penn State World Campus (online programs), and the Pennsylvania College of Technology. Visit http://www.psu.edu for more information.