By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
LVSportsBiz.com photos by J. Tyge O’Donnell
Jack Frevola will likely never forget many details from his Faith Lutheran High School graduation at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Friday evening.
Especially the part where Frevola commandeered a green Lamborghini convertible around the Speedway track to celebrate his high school graduation.
Frevola’s dad, Jim Frevola, picked up the hot ride through a friend at nearby Exotics Racing. The elder Frevola’s friend, David Perisset, lent the Frevola family the Lambo as a graduation gift to Jack.
“He will never forget this graduation,” Jim Frevola said of his son’s experience during these crazy and trying coronavirus pandemic times.
NASCAR tracks around the country are taking on double duty as they have also served as venues for high school graduations during the age of the COVID-19 virus. Las Vegas Motor Speedway is one of eight NASCAR racetracks owned by Speedway Motorsports Inc., which has staged high school graduations at its sprawling NASCAR facilities around the U.S.
In this case, the Faith Lutheran event at the big Speedway north of Las Vegas was engineered by Dr. Steve Buuck, chief executive of Faith Lutheran Middle School & High School, who worked with Kevin Camper, Speedway Motorsports Inc chief sales officer, to make it happen. Camper, who oversees the sales and marketing at the Las Vegas NASCAR venue, also has a child who is a junior at Faith Lutheran. They worked with Mason VanHouweling, University Medical Center CEO who handled medical logistics, to pull together the graduation at the racetrack.
“It’s pretty cool. Those three figured out the logistics,” said Jim Frevola, who oversees corporate sponsorships for the NHL Vegas Golden Knights.
The 255 graduates in cars picked up their diplomas as the finish line and then enjoyed a victory lap around the 1.5-mile track. The students and their families were supposed to be able to hear the commencement address as well as remarks from the valedictorian on their car radios via the speedway’s low-power FM transmitter.
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