NASCAR driver Tyler Reddick visits Turie T. Small Elementary, donates $10K

DAYTONA BEACH — Before heading to the Daytona International Speedway for the weekend’s races , Tyler Reddick — who drives the No. 45 Toyota Camry for 23XI Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series — made a pit stop at Turie T. Small Elementary Friday morning, hosting a question-and-answer-style discussion with students and then surprising the school with a $10,000 donation.

Fourth- and fifth-graders in attendance asked Reddick questions about his journey to NASCAR, wanting to know what inspires him, the obstacles he has overcome and how he prepares for races.

“I think the things I tried to press upon, that was important, is teamwork,” Reddick said. “You got to be dedicated. You got to be willing to make sacrifices along the way. … (It) takes a long time, sometimes, to finally get what you're hoping to out of your dreams, out of your goals ... sometimes it takes time and effort and energy.”

Reddick hopes the financial donation, which was made on behalf of his partners at MoneyLion , will help ease the costly burden of the back-to-school season for teachers, administrators, students and parents.

“It was really cool to see how excited all the staff were, the kids were,” Reddick said at the event.

“When you’re young, a lot of things can be impressed upon you, good or bad, and I think it’s always good to have an opportunity to share my experiences,” he continued. “(I’m) just hoping that it at least hit home for a couple kids.”

Reddick won at Michigan International Speedway Aug. 19 , and headed into Daytona as the leader in driver point standings. Additionally, he won the Duel 1 race during the Daytona 500 weekend earlier this year.

Turie T. Elementary students weigh in

Ten-year-old Lucy Gonyer, whose mother, Cassie Gonyer, is in a Nov. 5 School Board runoff with Krista Goodrich , was initially nervous to meet Reddick Friday, she said, but once the question-and-answer session started, she realized how exciting it was to speak with a race car driver.

She told The News-Journal that Reddick’s story inspired her to “keep going” after her ambitions.

“I know that everyone used to be a kid, but once I hear their story, it feels more real,” Gonyer said. “So when I heard Tyler Reddick’s story, it was kind of unbelievable that he used to dream like us, too.”

Antony Wallace, 10, said he liked everything he learned about Reddick because “I got to see a little bit into his life.”

“I’ve been watching him on the TV, race after race, so it was pretty exciting to see him come here today,” he added.

And for 10-year-old Avee Wilson, the best part of Reddick’s visit was learning that Reddick discovered his love for racing cars by riding go-karts when he was younger.

“My dad actually took me to a go-kart place, and it’s like the same story as him,” Wilson said.

And when asked how it felt for his school to receive a surprise $10K donation, Wilson said, “Oh, man! That felt amazing. We can probably get new stuff.”

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR driver Tyler Reddick visits Turie T. Small Elementary, donates $10K