{"id":17675,"date":"2018-05-23T21:29:17","date_gmt":"2018-05-24T02:29:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=17675"},"modified":"2018-05-23T21:29:17","modified_gmt":"2018-05-24T02:29:17","slug":"nascar-camping-world-truck-series-teen-driver-todd-gilliland-culminates-two-days-of-speeding-to-read-championship-assemblies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2018\/05\/23\/nascar-camping-world-truck-series-teen-driver-todd-gilliland-culminates-two-days-of-speeding-to-read-championship-assemblies\/","title":{"rendered":"NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teen driver Todd Gilliland culminates two days of Speeding to Read championship assemblies"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Elementary School students from Dallas \/ Fort Worth area schools arrive for the Speeding To Read (Day 2) award ceremony at Texas Motor Speedway on Wednesday, May 23, 2018 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Brandon Wade\/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway)<\/p><\/div>\n

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Courtesy of TMS Media Relations<\/em><\/p>\n

FORT WORTH, Texas \u2013 An 18th birthday always is a milestone moment so it was only appropriate that NASCAR Camping World Truck Series<\/a> driver Todd Gilliland<\/strong> was serenaded with “Happy Birthday” by approximately 6,000 elementary school students during Wednesday’s Speeding To Read<\/em> Championship Assembly<\/strong> at Texas Motor Speedway<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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NASCAR driver Todd Gilliland arrives in a helmet car during the Speeding To Read (Day 2) at Texas Motor Speedway on Wednesday, May 23, 2018 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Brandon Wade\/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway)<\/p><\/div>\n

Gilliland returned the favor to the kids as he served as the special guest and recognized the top readers in the Backstretch Conference, which consisted of 10 of the 21 Dallas\/Fort Worth elementary schools and approximately half of the 12,061 students that competed in the year-long education program. Verizon IndyCar Series drivers Scott Dixon and Gabby Chaves were on hand Tuesday at Texas Motor Speedway to honor the Frontstretch Conference schools and students.<\/p>\n

“That’s the most energetic group of 6,000 people I’ve ever come across,” Gilliland said of the appreciative crowd of students. “Sometimes you get to meet and talk to 50 kids at one time and all you can do is tell them about it (racing). (ThroughSpeeding To Read<\/em>) there’s 6,000 kids at the actual facility that is one of the more impressive that we go to. So, I think once they see it, they’ll love it. … I think this will get a lot of them hooked.”<\/p>\n

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Students from B B Owen Elementary School pose for a photo with NASCAR driver David Gilliland, in black, during the Speeding To Read (Day 2) at Texas Motor Speedway on Wednesday, May 23, 2018 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Brandon Wade\/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway)<\/p><\/div>\n

The Backstretch schools on hand for the assembly were B.B. Owen, Homestead, Vickery and Peters Colony of the Lewisville ISD; Lakeview, Hughes and Seven Hills of the Northwest ISD; Shands and Black of the Mesquite ISD; and Marsalis of the Dallas ISD.<\/p>\n

The Backstretch Conference combined to read 703,296 books during the course of the school year and the 21 schools overall read a program-record 1,568,670 books.<\/p>\n

The Colony’s B.B. Owen co-shared the Speeding To Read<\/em>school championship with Lantana’s E.P. Rayzor for the second consecutive year. B.B. Owen and Rayzor once again were perfect, with 100 percent of their respective student bodies achieving the pre-set reading goals. The school will be rewarded with a school-wide ice cream sundae party compliments of Levy Restaurants, the official concessionaire of Texas Motor Speedway.<\/p>\n

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NASCAR driver Todd Gilliland, center, competes in a donut on a string eating contest against elementary school students during the Speeding To Read (Day 2) at Texas Motor Speedway on Wednesday, May 23, 2018 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Brandon Wade\/Getty Images for Texas Motor Speedway)<\/p><\/div>\n

The following were recognized at the assembly:<\/p>\n