Kansas Speedway announced today that 2016 Olympic medalist Nico Hernandez has been named grand marshal for the Kansas Lottery 300 on Oct. 15.
Lottery industry veteran Geneva McCaffrey, who currently serves as Kansas Lottery account director, has been named as the honorary starter for the race.
Hernandez, who is from Wichita, Kan., won the bronze medal in the light flyweight division in Rio earlier this year. He is the first person from Wichita to win an Olympic medal since 1984. Previous winners were Lynnette Woodard – basketball; and Marc Waldie – volleyball.
He is the first person from Wichita to win an individual medal since 1968, with Jim Ryun the previous medal winner.
Hernandez is an eight-time consecutive Ringside World National Champion, a six-time consecutive Silver Gloves National Champion and a two-time consecutive Junior Olympic National Champion. In addition, he is the first boxer from Wichita to make the U.S. Olympic team.
McCaffrey has almost three decades of lottery industry experience, including over 10 years with the Florida Lottery and more than 17 years with Scientific Games. She has worked with many U.S. lotteries as the account manager, most recently for the Arizona, Kansas, Texas and Wisconsin lotteries. McCaffrey has knowledge and experience in areas of marketing analysis and planning, customer service, lottery sales, prize structure, and industry trends.
Tickets are currently on sale for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 on Oct. 16. The Kansas Lottery 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series race will take center stage on Oct. 15, while the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards championship race will run on Oct. 14. Tickets can be purchased online at www.kansasspeedway.com or by calling 866.460.7223.
General parking is free at Kansas Speedway and fans can bring in one 14x14x14-inch soft-sided cooler with their favorite food and beverages.