FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — Flagler County graduating class of 2020: start your engines!
That's right, seniors who attend Flagler-Palm Coast and Matanzas High School will get to drive across the Daytona International Speedway finish line to receive their diplomas this year.
COVID-19 has put a damper on graduation ceremonies across the state, but the school district said they wanted to make sure students "saw the finish line."
The school district said none of this would be possible without the support from the Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR, and its owners, the France family.
“We had a committee made up of students, school administrators, district staff, and a member of the School Board. All of the members on this committee were determined to find a way for our graduates to have their ceremony as close to the original May 28th date as possible," Superintendent James Tager said. "Without the wonderful team at Daytona International Speedway, we probably would not have been able to do that.”
But, the speedway said it was more than happy to help the seniors celebrate their big day.
“The France family has been committed to supporting our local schools in any way they can," Chip Wile, President of Daytona International Speedway said. "We are unique in that we can comfortably accommodate these schools and provide an unforgettable experience for these graduates. We are honored to host these graduates and their families for this special occasion.”
Now, on May 31 students will line up and one-by-one drive over the iconic black-and-white checkered line to get their diploma. But, there are some restrictions.
Students cannot ride motorcycles, tractor-trailers, limos, stretch SUVs, "party" buses or RVs on the track. They need to keep it to your standard everyday cars.
Either way, students are excited for the opportunity.
“Graduating at Daytona International Speedway is beyond anything I ever could have imagined when we started talking about alternate graduations! No one else in the nation has ever done anything like this! I am very excited and thankful to Flagler Schools for putting students first and to Daytona International Speedway for making the facility available to us," senior Hunter Perez said.
Congrats to the class of 2020!
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