Driving for Dyslexia, a non-profit foundation in memory of NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver Justin Wilson, will get a large dose of horsepower this Sunday with the first pro-am karting event at Whiteland (Indiana) Raceway Park.
The Driving for Dyslexia Pro-Am presented by Seamless Roofing will be held from 12:30-4:30 p.m. ET Sunday and feature two winners of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge – Al Unser Jr. and Alexander Rossi – along with popular professional drivers Sarah Fisher, Ed Carpenter, James Hinchcliffe, Conor Daly, RC Enerson, Felipe Albuquerque, Matthew Brabham and Hunter McElrea, among others.
One of those “other” drivers is Elliot Cox, the 15-year-old Indianapolis student who was the inspiration for the foundation. Cox met Wilson at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2015 (pictured above), and they connected with their shared battle with dyslexia. Cox, then 7, dedicated an area of his bedroom to the famous driver, with the featured item a framed quote.
“Dyslexia doesn’t stop me,” Wilson had told him.
Cox and his family started on the path to the non-profit in 2018, with the mission to help all children know that dyslexia need not stop them. Proceeds raised are used to train teachers in a multi-sensory approach to identify children with dyslexia and to help them learn to read.
Cox raised $18,000 at the foundation’s first public event, and he and his efforts have been featured in numerous media outlets, including NBC’s “TODAY with Hoda and Jenna” in the “Kids in the Spotlight” segment. Kristen Pozen, a teacher from Crown Point, Indiana, received the first Justin Wilson Memorial Dyslexia Teacher Training Scholarship in cooperation with the Dyslexia Institute of Indiana, which helped Cox.
Wilson’s wife, Julia, will attend Sunday’s event, where the goal is to raise $100,000. All donations are tax deductible.
Whiteland Raceway Park is owned by Fisher and her husband, Andy O’Gara, whose two children regularly compete there. Cox drives junior formula cars for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Development. He hopes to one day compete in the “500,” as Fisher and Wilson did.
This weekend, drivers will be assigned to teams comprised of one professional and three amateur competing in Margay Ignite Karts capable of reaching speeds faster than 40 mph.
The exciting event includes spectator activities, such as the MPG Motorsports Pit Stop Challenge and ample time to meet and talk with the professional drivers through an autograph session. Pit admission is $5.
Food trucks will be on site along with the Prime 47 VIP Area, and there will be a silent auction featuring many autographed items. The event will be livestreamed by Kart Chaser.
To learn more about the event and the foundation, contact Driving4Dyslexia@gmail.com.