The roar of NASCAR engines will be replaced by the ding-ding of bicycles at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this week. On Wednesday, June 6, families can circle "The Magic Mile" on their bicycles in the annual Dale Jr. Foundation Safe Kids 301, hosted by Speedway Children's Charities - New Hampshire Chapter and the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock's Injury Prevention Program.

The annual event, previously named the Safe Kids 500, is a bike safety celebration that kicks off the bike-riding season. It provides a safe place for children to ride while also providing information on bike safety, all with a goal of keeping kids unharmed from a bike injury. As part of the festivities, there will be bike safety and helmet checks, and free helmets are provided to those children who need them.

Last fall, the event was rebranded during the Jr. Nation Appreci88tion Tour, which celebrated the retirement of one of NASCAR's most popular drivers, Dale Earnhardt Jr.  Thanks to a generous donation of $8,800 made by Speedway Children's Charities and New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the Dale Jr. Foundation's name, the impact from this year's event will double with twice the number of helmets being provided to children who need them. A variety of other activities are planned in addition to the ride around the track.

The event runs from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, and is completely free for families. Gates open at 5:00 p.m., and bikes go on-track at 5:30 p.m. No pre-registration is required. Live entertainment will be provided, and S&W Bike Shop will be on-hand for free bike safety checks. Local drivers will be on-hand to allow kids to explore their race cars. Healthy snacks and a variety of educational materials will also be available to get families ready for the bike-riding season in the Granite State.

The Injury Prevention Center at ChaD works to keep kids safe across New Hampshire. Injury Prevention operates myriad programs, including car seat and seat belt safety and initiatives to reduce falls and sports and recreation injuries. The full array of Injury Prevention programs is available at www.ChaDKids.org/injury-prevention.

More information on the Dale Jr. Foundation Safe Kids 301 can be found at www.SpeedwayCharities.org/events/#NewHampshire.

About Speedway Children's Charities (SCC)
The mission of Speedway Children's Charities is to care for children with educational, financial, social and medical needs to help them lead productive lives. Founded by Bruton Smith in 1982, Speedway Children's Charities is a non-profit 501c (3) organization providing funding for hundreds of non-profit organizations that meet the direct needs of children. The New Hampshire Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities was officially established in 2009. Since then, the New Hampshire Motor Speedway Chapter of Speedway Children's Charities has raised more than $1.7 million. The goal is to ensure that every child in need be given the tools to build a better, brighter and healthier future. For more information, visit www.SpeedwayCharities.org.

About the Dale Jr. Foundation
The Dale Jr. Foundation is a charity dedicated to giving underprivileged individuals with a focus on youth, the resources to improve their confidence and education and the opportunity to achieve extraordinary goals. The Dale Jr. Foundation has made a monumental impact in the local community since its beginning. TDJF has contributed to more than 300 charities nationally and locally, including The Make-A-Wish Foundation, Blessings in a Backpack, Ronald McDonald House of Charlotte, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Ace and TJ's Grin Kids and Mooresville Christian Mission. For more information, visit www.TheDaleJrFoundation.org.

About CHaD
As New Hampshire's only full-service, comprehensive children's hospital, the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth?Hitchcock (CHaD) is committed to providing outstanding compassionate care for children and their families. Their physician expertise provides primary, specialty, and tertiary care to the children of New Hampshire, Vermont, and beyond. CHaD offers inpatient (hospital care) and outpatient (same day care) services at Dartmouth?Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. Outpatient and same-day surgery services are available at Dartmouth?Hitchcock Manchester, as well as outpatient pediatric specialties at Wentworth?Douglass Hospital in Dover and Exeter. Primary care is available at Dartmouth?Hitchcock facilities in Bedford, Concord, Keene, Lebanon, Manchester and Nashua, N.H., and Bennington, Vt.

For more information about CHaD, please visit http://www.CHaDKids.org, call (603) 650?KIDS or email [email protected].