HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — Students at Rocky Creek Elementary in Henry County got a surprise visit from a NASCAR Cup Series Driver last Thursday. Erik Jones made a pit stop at the school to present students and staff with a book vending machine.
It was all part of an initiative with the Erik Jones Foundation, Atlanta Motor Speedway and Speedway Children's Charities.
Jones spent time reading with students in the school's summer program and also answered their questions about what it's like to be a racecar driver.
“I really just hope the book vending machine inspires in some way. That's the ultimate goal," Jones said in a release from Henry County Schools. "I hope it inspires them to not only want to obviously go and read, but just in general to go out and perform and exceed and be the best they can be at anything in life."
A few elementary schoolers were able to try out the new vending machine and pick out a book to take home.
During the visit, Speedway Children’s Charities Atlanta and Atlanta Motor Speedway presented the Erik Jones Foundation with a $3,000 donation to help keep the vending machine stocked for the upcoming school year.
“We want to be a partner in our community everywhere we turn,” Atlanta Motor Speedway Executive Vice President Brandon Hutchison said. “To be a part of the future education of these kids is really special. To be able to partner with the school system and to be a part of helping these kids, to see their energy here today and to know that this machine is going to be in this school for a long, long time.”
Jones is set to return to Hampton, Georgia, to participate in the Quaker State 400 on July 9.