NKyTribune staff
Law Enforcement officials from throughout the region joined Kentucky Speedway General Manager Mark Simendinger at Cincinnati’s District 1 Police Station Thursday to kick off the fourth Magpul Top Cop Challenge.
Officers from eight regional law enforcement agencies will compete and test their stock car racing skills in NASCAR Racing Experience racecars at Kentucky Speedway Sept. 8 from 12 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Simendinger said the competition was born after former Cincinnati Police Chief James Craig took a tour of Kentucky Speedway.
“He was never shy about his talents and he was telling me how he had a fast car and he could drive really fast,” Simendinger said. “We started talking about it and I said, ‘why don’t you prove it?’ We (started talking about) challenging other police forces and we were able to get driving schools involved. Now we have eight different police forces involved.”
The competition includes officers representing the City of Cincinnati, Butler County and Hamilton County in Ohio, and Jeffersontown, Gallatin County, Oldham County, Kenton County, and the State Police in Kentucky. They will participate in a two-officer team competition that will ultimately determine three officers who will have the chance to become Top Cop.
Each team member will race an eight-lap driving session around the speedway’s 1.5-mile tri-oval. The fastest team score will be the Magpul Top Cop Challenge Team Champion. The winning team will be awarded tickets to the NASCAR XFINITY Series VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 at Kentucky Speedway Saturday, September 24. Tickets will be distributed to needy families in the team’s community.
The three highest-ranking Top Cops will advance to a final round in which they will drive an eight-lap driving session. The officer with the best time (fastest single lap) will be crowned Magpul Top Cop Challenge Champion. The Top Cop will be recognized during NASCAR XFINITY Series VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 at Kentucky Speedway pre-race ceremonies Saturday, Sept. 24.
“It’s our way of saying thank you, because we can’t do what we do at Kentucky Speedway without their support on event day, but also year round” Simendinger said. “It’s really grown into something that’s a great time.”
The XFINITY Series VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 at Kentucky Speedway will conclude a two-race weekend that begins Friday, Sept. 23 with the ARCA Racing Series Crosley Brands 150. Both races begin at 8 p.m.
Tickets, campsites, and Fan Zone passes for the fall events can be purchased through www.kentuckyspeedway.com, by calling (859) 578-2300, downloading the speedways free mobile app or visiting the Kentucky Speedway ticket office at 1 Speedway Drive in Sparta.