CARSTAR North America announced that NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon will help kick off the the 2017 CARSTAR North America Conference where, for the first time, both U.S. and Canadian networks will be represented.

The conference, themed 1NE CARSTAR, will be held Aug. 23-25 in Charlotte, N.C., home of NASCAR. The events will be held at the Westin Hotel as well as the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Charlotte Motor Speedway. It will open with a special welcome dinner Wednesday night, then shift gears to focus on strategic planning, management education sessions, panel discussions, vendor partner networking events, motivational speakers, an insurance industry forum and CARSTAR Vendor Expo held at Charlotte Motor Speedway, It will close with the annual awards presentation.

Gordon, four-time NASCAR champion, current NASCAR on FOX analyst and longtime Axalta ambassador, will join the opening night festivities as the keynote speaker, presented by Axalta. Axalta is a leading paint supplier for CARSTAR North America.

CARSTAR joined Driven Brands, Inc. in 2015 and, in 2016, integrated with CARSTAR Canada to become CARSTAR North America. Driven Brands is headquartered in Charlotte, and the CARSTAR Conference will showcase the Queen City and all it has to offer as well as the racing environment Charlotte is known for throughout the country.

“We’re going to be in Charlotte for the largest MSO network event of the year, so it’s perfect to have one of NASCAR’s biggest stars be a part of our event,” said Michael Macaluso, president, CARSTAR North America. “Jeff’s success on the track has earned him a tremendous number of fans and accolades, but his work off the track on behalf of children in need is even more remarkable. We’re thankful to Axalta for their support on making this a truly special evening.”