Fresh off his September 30 win in Kansas, Nascar driver No. 16, Greg Biffle, paid a visit to South Florida, home of the Ford Championship 400. Jay Rand and Jonathan Carl of Homestead-Miami Speedway, where race season culminates in November, hosted Biffle's whirlwind public relations trip.
"With Nascar crowning all three series right here at Homestead-Miami come November, we might be hard-pressed to find any driver more representative of Ford Championship Weekend [than Biffle]," said speedway president Curtis Gray.
Cruising around on the Thomas Flyer, a 42-foot Post Sportfish boat, Biffle—with his wife, Nicole, a group of speedway representatives, and assorted media—made stops at Jungle Island and the Miami Seaquarium before arriving at Monty's Raw Bar in Coconut Grove just in time for happy hour.Biffle led the group through a series of adventures throughout the day. At Jungle Island (formally Parrot Jungle Island), he roamed the 18-acre preserve encountering exotic animals including a 900-pound liger (the offspring of a lion and a tiger) and an albino alligator; he also jumped onto the back of a century-old giant tortoise with a "16" sticker on its shell and met the resident kangaroos.
At the Seaquarium, an animal activist team, Biffle, and Nicole fed manatees and received kisses from Lolita, the park's killer whale. From there, the group headed to the Seaquarium's new $5 million Dolphin Harbor interaction facility, where they mingled with the sea mammals. Just opened in July, the facility features a 700,000-gallon pool (home to 10 bottlenose dolphins) and event space for as many as 200 guests.
The tour ended at Monty's just as the sun was setting. Nascar fans and the general public were able to meet Biffle and purchase the just-released 2008 Nascar Pets calendar, which features him and other drivers, such as Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart, alongside their pets. All proceeds from the calendars benefit partners of the Greg Biffle Foundation, including the Humane Society.
Biffle will return to South Florida from November 16 to 18 to defend his spot in the winner's circle during the Ford Championship 400 race at Homestead.
"With Nascar crowning all three series right here at Homestead-Miami come November, we might be hard-pressed to find any driver more representative of Ford Championship Weekend [than Biffle]," said speedway president Curtis Gray.
Cruising around on the Thomas Flyer, a 42-foot Post Sportfish boat, Biffle—with his wife, Nicole, a group of speedway representatives, and assorted media—made stops at Jungle Island and the Miami Seaquarium before arriving at Monty's Raw Bar in Coconut Grove just in time for happy hour.Biffle led the group through a series of adventures throughout the day. At Jungle Island (formally Parrot Jungle Island), he roamed the 18-acre preserve encountering exotic animals including a 900-pound liger (the offspring of a lion and a tiger) and an albino alligator; he also jumped onto the back of a century-old giant tortoise with a "16" sticker on its shell and met the resident kangaroos.
At the Seaquarium, an animal activist team, Biffle, and Nicole fed manatees and received kisses from Lolita, the park's killer whale. From there, the group headed to the Seaquarium's new $5 million Dolphin Harbor interaction facility, where they mingled with the sea mammals. Just opened in July, the facility features a 700,000-gallon pool (home to 10 bottlenose dolphins) and event space for as many as 200 guests.
The tour ended at Monty's just as the sun was setting. Nascar fans and the general public were able to meet Biffle and purchase the just-released 2008 Nascar Pets calendar, which features him and other drivers, such as Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart, alongside their pets. All proceeds from the calendars benefit partners of the Greg Biffle Foundation, including the Humane Society.
Biffle will return to South Florida from November 16 to 18 to defend his spot in the winner's circle during the Ford Championship 400 race at Homestead.
A giant tortoise was among the many animals Nascar champ Greg Biffle interacted with while at Jungle Island.
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The Thomas Flyer, owned and operated by brothers Jimbo and Rick Thomas out of Bayside Marina, carried Nascar driver Greg Biffle and guests around the Miami area.
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A giant tortoise was among the many animals the Nascar champ interacted with while at Jungle Island.
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The Biffles spent time with the kangaroos during their visit to Jungle Island.
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At the Miami Seaquarium, Biffle helped feed the manatees lunch.
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Lolita, one of the Seaquarium's killer whales, jumped up to kiss Biffle.
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Media aboard the whirlwind PR adventure got a chance to check out the new Dolphin Harbor interactive facility at the Miami Seaquarium.
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The daylong tour culminated with a calendar signing at Monty's Raw Bar in Coconut Grove.
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