MADISON, Ill. – Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 was so much more than another leg of the NASCAR Cup Series.
For one team, they’re trying to encourage children to consider a career as a driver, mechanic, or engineer. It’s how they’re trying to pave the way for others by introducing them to another consideration in their lives.
For Terron Armstead, the Cahokia Heights native who plays offensive tackle for the Miami Dolphins, it’s about giving back. At last year’s NASCAR event, Armstead heard the story of Xavier Jones, the young man who walked to his graduation ceremony and provided the young man with an electric bike and a vehicle to his family.
“We promote education,” Armstead said, discussing his foundation. “There’s introduction and exposure to so many different walks of life, from financial literacy to career readiness. Here we’re capping it off with 20 youths we brought over to experience it for the first time.”
And if there’s one thing that stands out from the Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin team, 23XI Racing, it’s that this team wants to bring people to the track who might not have ever had the opportunity or means to do so.
“It’s definitely something that makes you proud of being a part of and something that’s really good and makes you hope you left a lasting impression,” Bubba Wallace, 23XI driver, said.
Wallace’s 23XI teammate, Tyler Reddick, echoes that sentiment.
“A lot of people come from different backgrounds to get to NASCAR,” Reddick said. “It’s really cool to give an opportunity to see what it’s like behind the scenes. There’s always a need and a place for someone on the team.”
Kreig Robinson, the team’s director of equity, inclusion, diversity, and belonging, said he’s always looking to give back, like at Mathews Dickey, where he was a club member growing up.
Or Sunday before the Enjoy Illinois 300, Robinson provided some first-time race fans with a behind-the-scenes peak into the world of high-performance motorsports.
“We want to make sure not only our staff,” Robinson said. “But the fan structure looks like what society looks like right now. Diversity is super important to us. It’s one of our cardinal principles and something we work super hard at.”
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