Racing Presidents to travel to Mt. Rushmore

February 11, 2013

For the first time ever, the Washington Nationals Racing Presidents - George, Tom, Abe, Teddy and the newest member, Bill - will celebrate Presidents Day from America's definitive presidential landmark when they visit Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota.

To kick off the Bill-Teddy rivalry, the two Presidents will "race" from D.C. to Mount Rushmore beginning Friday, February 15 and join the other Racing Presidents at the monument on Presidents Day. Fans can cast their ballots for "Bill and Teddy's Executive Adventure" on Twitter by using #VoteBill or #VoteTeddy to identify which of the two presidents they think should win. One randomly selected user of each hashtag will win a private mascot appearance with their respective Racing President. Official sweepstakes rules will be posted to the Nationals official Twitter account (@Nationals) when the contest launches on February 15.

All five of the Racing Presidents will celebrate Presidents Day at Mount Rushmore with the Black Hills, Badlands and Lakes Association. Bill and Teddy will be tweeting throughout their travels and fans are encouraged to track their adventures by following @NatsBigChief27 and @Teddy26Nats.

Due to the road trip, auditions for the 2013 Racing Presidents - which are traditionally held President's Day weekend - will instead take place on Saturday, March 2. Fans with presidential aspirations have until Wednesday, February 20 to apply for the chance to fill the shoes of George, Tom, Abe, Teddy and Bill throughout the 2013 baseball season.

To be eligible, applicants must fulfill the following requirements:

Measure between 5'7" and 6'6" in height
Be at least 18 years old
Be able to run from center field to home plate in 40 seconds (approximately 200 yards)
Be able to wear a costume weighing approximately 45 lbs for several hours
Be available for at least 35 Nationals home games

Racing hopefuls should submit their cover letter, resume and photo to [email protected]. Once these materials are received, applicants will be contacted and required to answer six mascot-related questions. Further details regarding the 2013 Racing Presidents auditions will be released in the coming weeks.

Developed in 2006, the Racing Presidents are 12-foot oversized mascots who race in the fourth inning GEICO Presidents Race during every Nationals home game. The popular figures can be seen promoting the team and its community efforts at Nationals Park and around the Washington region. For more information on the Racing Presidents, visit nationals.com/racing presidents.