CONCORD, N.C. -- One lucky fan walked away with a custom and limited edition 2020 Hertz-Hendrick Motorsports Camaro SS Wednesday afternoon, courtesy of Hertz and Hendrick Motorsports.
Phillip Abma of Miami was the winner of the The Hertz Ultimate Ride Sweepstakes, an opportunity that gave fans chance to win the custom Camaro.
Abma, along with four other finalists from the sweepstakes, won an exclusive package that featured a driving experience at Charlotte Motor Speedway with William Byron, a private, behind-the-scenes tour of the Hendrick Motorsports campus, passes to the NASCAR Hall of Fame and lunch with Byron and the No. 24 team.
For Abma, driving over 180 mph around Charlotte Motor Speedway for just a couple of laps was an eye-opening experience.
“I am the kind of person that gets sick being in a roller coaster," Abma said. "After the first corner on the “warm-up lap” I was starting to turn nauseous, but it was amazing. Total respect to these drivers. How you can hold (it) together and hitting those speeds for 200-odd laps – it’s beyond comprehension to me how they can pull that one off."
At the end of the experience, the five finalists chose key fobs to the one-of-a-kind Camaro, with the caveat that only one fob would turn the car on. Abma chose the lucky fob.
“I was honestly not expecting it to turn on at all," Abma said. "But you go in with this hope that this will be the one. To actually hit that button and have it start; it’s impossible to really put into words. It’s amazing.”
Abma, who had his two children with him, said his daughter told him which fob to pick.
Byron said seeing the look on Abma's face was priceless and the excitement he and his children showed when Abma won the car made the experience worth it.
“It’s great what Hertz is doing with this promotion with this Hertz Camaro," Byron said. "Obviously it’s a really cool car and has a lot of horse power. I feel like it’s one of the neatest street cars that I’ve driven, so I definitely had fun driving it and I’m excited for (Abma) to be able to drive it around and own it.”
The Camaro SS has 20-inch satin black wheels; a Performance Upgrade Package inclusive of a Chevrolet Cold Air Intake and Chevrolet Cat-back Dual Exhaust Upgrade System; custom exterior graphics package; strut tower bar with Hendrick Motorsports branding; custom Hertz lighted door sill plates; embroidered headrests with the No. 24 team logo and Byron’s signature; Hertz fender badges; and a Hertz-Hendrick Motorsports plaque that notes it's the fifth car of its kind out of a small pool of 224 limited-edition Camaros.
Abma will be taking his new ride home to Miami, where he plans to show it off.
“I’m going to take a couple days off and start cruising around the strip in South Beach,” he said.