NASCAR driver donates book vending machine, reads to Palm Coast students before Coke Zero

PALM COAST — NASCAR driver,Erik Jones made a pit stopAug. 22 at Rymfire Elementary School on his way to theCoke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedwayto unveil a book vending machine for hundreds of excited kids thrilled to see a race car driver.

The Erik Jones Foundation partnered with AdventHealth to donate themachineJones will be driving the No. 43 AdventHealth Toyota Camry at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on August 23 at Daytona International Speedway.

Students will earn tokens at school which they can use to get "purchase" free books.

The book vending machine was covered as students filed into Rymfire's cafeteria. Once they were seated, school staff quieted the group by raising their hands.

NASCAR driver reads to students, takes questions

After a brief introduction, Jones began byreading to students"Goodnight Racetrack," a take on "Goodnight Moon," in which the author writes about the Indianapolis 500 and says goodnight to the speedway, the race cars, the trophy and other elements ofthe famous race.

Then Jones answered students' questions.

How many years has Jones been racing? Twenty-one years, Jones said, adding that he started in a go-kart when he was 7 years old.

Besides racing, what else is he good at? "I feel like I'm a good reader," Jones replied.

Why was he doing this for the students? Jones said he was doing it because of his and his family's love of reading.

How many trophies has he won? "In NASCAR, we have won three Cup races"Four Cup races, I guess, and some of the other series we've won a handful more, so we've won a few," Jones said.

What is his favorite book? "I would say my favorite book that I've read in other schools is 'Dragons Love Tacos.'" That elicited a favorable response from the kids to what is apparently a popular title.

What's his favorite race track?Darlington Raceway in South Carolina, where he will race next weekend, but he said, "Daytona was pretty fun."

Coke Zero Sugar 400 speed: About 205 mph

How fast does the race car go? Around 205 at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway, he told the students.

About being a race car driver: "It's pretty cool to be a race car driver. We get to go in and go as fast as we want in a car, which is pretty fun. You can't do that on the road," Jones said.

Another student asked if it was like driving a go-kart on the track at Daytona Lagoon in Daytona Beach. "Maybe a little bit," Jones said, adding, "We're going a little bit faster than the lagoon."

After the questions, Jones joined Flagler County School Superintendent LaShakia Moore, Rymfire Principal Travis Lee, AdventHealth Nurse Yuri Pashchuk and Flagler County Education Foundation Executive Director Teresa Rizzo in unveiling the machine after a countdown with students.

Students applauded and yelled some more, and then one student from each assembly was selected to get a book from the machine.

NASCAR driver: Jeff Gordon book inspired him

During a press conference between assemblies, Jones said strong reading skills provide a good head start in life and learning. He said his interest in getting kids to read started during COVID when he did some online readings which were popular with kids. Then, his foundation learned about book vending machines.

"The kids were really excited about the vending machines when we donated them and it really got them excited about wanting to earn those books as rewards, so we really started to push and try to donate more and more," Jones said.

He said he reads a lot while on flights, traveling. He likes to read biographies and said he would someday like to write a children's book. He said he has a dog named Oscar and a rabbit and he'd like to base a book on an "unlikely friendship."

His foundation focuses on literacy, cancer prevention and animal welfare.

What are some of Jones' favorite books: "The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography about Cancer;" a book about hockey player Bob Probert; and an autobiography about Jeff Gordon, a book he read when he was young with his father. The Gordon book helped inspire him to become a race car driver. Gordon was a four-time NASCAR champion andwon the Daytona 500three times.

AdventHealth, a long-time partner with Flagler Schools

AdventHealth has been a long-time partner helping the school district, according to Moore and Rizzo. The hospital system works with the district in providing internships for students interested in the health field and provides athletic trainers at both high schools. They also donate supplies and backpacks and help fund mental-health training.

Anna Lohman, executive director of strategic partnerships at AdventHealth, said the hospital system is present in 10 states and nearly all AdventHealth markets have a NASCAR track within driving distance. She said the partnership helps educate the community about AdventHealth.

NASCAR is one of the number one sports in brand loyalty, so we know that people who are fans of the sport are actively making decisions based on the brands that appear in the sport," Lohman said. "But I think a lot of people don't realize, yes, Erik is going to race on Saturday, but before every one of our AdventHealth races, Erik is in the market on a Friday doing something in the community that helps give back.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal:NASCAR driver donates book vending machine, reads to Palm Coast students before Coke Zero