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WINONA LAKE - ML Motorsports driver Justin Diercks raced Jefferson Elementary School Principal Dennis Duncan Monday afternoon in shopping carts.
Students pushed the carts around several laps in the school gym, as Diercks wore a hat of checkered flags and Duncan wore a hat of broccoli. By about half a lap, Diercks won the race.
According to librarian Mona Steiner, Jefferson had a reading program called "Driven to Read" from Aug. 28 to Oct. 6. Each student had goals to reach. The class in second and third grade and the class in fourth through sixth grade which had the most points in participation got to build the cars. Winners were Mrs. Shaffner's second-grade class and Mrs. Gill's fifth-grade class, said Steiner. Monday's race between Diercks and Duncan was a reward for the school. First-graders didn't have any competition, but received flags to cheer on the racers. The "pit crew" - the cart pushers - for the racers were students who got the most points and went above and beyond expectations.
Before the race, Diercks spoke briefly to the students about the importance of reading. In school, he said he liked history and P.E. "Reading, I can't emphasize that enough."
After the race, he then took questions from students. Questions ranged from how fast he drives to whether or not he's raced Jeff Gordon.
He spoke about getting started in racing at age 9 by driving go-karts. Before ML Motorsports, he raced for his parents. He has cousins and uncles who race. He got into racing because "it's in the family. My grandfather did it. He had four boys. ... It's just in the family," he said.
Yes, he's crashed, he told the students. "It's no fun, don't do it," he said.
When asked if he's ever raced Gordon, Diercks said, "Have I ever raced Jeff Gordon? No, but I'd love to."
Before a race, he told Jefferson he usually takes a nap so he is relaxed. He sometimes gets nervous, but he tries to put that behind him and do his best.
Racing can be dangerous, but he said he can't worry about that because then that's all he would think about.
Diercks was born April 4, 1980, and resides in Davenport, Iowa. His 2004 career accomplishments include the Series Champion of the NASCAR Touring AutoZone Elite/Midwest Series, and six wins, 11 top fives and 13 top 10s. In 2005, his career accomplishments include series champion of the NASCAR Touring AutoZone Elite/Midwest Series and signed with Robert Yates racing.
