The Home Depot and NASCAR last week launched a national partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing and the nonprofit group, KaBOOM!, to make a lasting impression in the lives of at-risk children who live in NASCAR race communities.

The partnership, called Racing to Play, will involve volunteers from The #20 Home Depot Racing Team, the Joe Gibbs Racing team, and local The Home Depot stores in building a NASCAR-themed playground in a single day just prior to a scheduled weekend NASCAR race. The events will also include The Home Depot Kids Workshops activities and an appearance by The #20 Home Depot Chevrolet show car.

Racing to Play will kick off on June 16 with a playground build at the Jackson Arts and Technology Academy in Jackson, Mich., prior to the Michigan 400 at the Michigan International Speedway. Tony Stewart and other members of Joe Gibbs Racing will participate.

In addition to the kick-off event in Jackson, Mich., the Racing to Play program will build NASCAR-themed KaBOOM! playgrounds in the following markets: Daytona, Fla.; Joliet, Ill.; Indianapolis; Fontana, Calif.; Richmond, Va.; Talladega, Ala.; Kansas City, Kan; Atlanta; and Phoenix.

Racing to Play is made possible through an ongoing partnership between The Home Depot and KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to building safe play spaces in communities across the country. As a national sponsor of KaBOOM!, The Home Depot provides financial support, materials and numerous volunteers. By the end of 2005, The Home Depot will have built and funded approximately 400 KaBOOM! playground projects.

Atlanta-based Home Depot Rentals is No. 7 on the new RER 100.