B.B. Owens, Lionel Racing Present 2017 Speeding To Read Champion With Custom Die-Cast

B.B. Owen Elementary fifth-grader Xavier Gooden just wanted to create a paint scheme in last year’s Lionel Racing “Design A Die-Cast” competition to honor his two grandmothers who were battling colon cancer.

 

On Monday, that tribute came to life as the “Cure Cancer 2017” paint scheme he designed was showcased on 50 pre-packaged 1:64-scale die-cast cars that were sent by Lionel Racing to the elementary school in The Colony to give Gooden and his classmates a sneak peek.

 

That car will find itself alongside the die-casts of NASCAR stars such as Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott on shelves of national retailers such as Walmart and others soon.

 

With more than 100 third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students as well as faculty and his family on hand, Gooden was given a surprise event in the school library to unveil the cars. The blue, green and pink design was themed “Cure Cancer 2017” and included blue ribbons for colon cancer awareness. The paint scheme was a tribute to his two grandmothers with colon cancer, one of which he lost last spring.

 

“I didn’t know what the assembly was for until I lifted the box and saw the cars. I played it cool and didn’t yell out loud … but you can’t imagine what it’s like to see your car in stores and know that people everywhere will be playing with it in their houses,” Gooden said. “I’m going to put it up where people can see it, but I won’t let anyone open it.”

 

The opportunity came about by Gooden participating in last year’s Lionel Racing “Design A Die-Cast” competition that was among the 10 Dallas/Fort Worth elementary schools that were part of Texas Motor Speedway’s Speeding To Read program. His design was chosen as the overall winner from among the 5,000 students that were eligible to participate in the competition.

 

The die-cast cars were delivered to the school Friday, giving B.B. Owen Principal Jennifer Spitzer and her staff the weekend to plan Monday’s special presentation.

 

“Die-cast cars have been a part of all kids’ childhoods, so how amazing to go through this process and see one of our students design one that goes on store shelves,” Spitzer said. “Having all this happen for Xavier has inspired the whole student body and taught them what they can truly accomplish when they take advantage of opportunities.” 

 

The surprise didn’t stop at the presentation. After a brief show-and-tell with the students in the library, Gooden paraded the school hallways, where he was greeted by a line of students cheering, yelling his name and holding various congratulatory signs. He then made his way back to the library, where he signed more than 20 cars for classmates.

 

“I felt like an actual celebrity being able to sign the cars for my classmates.”

 

Gooden and all of B.B. Owen Elementary will be a part of Texas Motor Speedway’s Speeding To Read Championship Assemblies, which are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday at the speedway. More than 12,000 students will take part in the two-day celebration, which honors Speeding To Read’s top students, classrooms and schools for the 2017-18 school year.

 

On Tuesday, four-time Verizon IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon and 2015 series rookie of the year Gabby Chaves will take part in the celebration while 18-year-old NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Todd Gilliland will take part on Wednesday.

 

TMS PR