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Gentlemen, start your engines
(by Karen F. Mrnarevic - December 12, 2007)
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STAFF PHOTO BY KAREN F. MRNAREVIC
Vincent Giacalone, an eighth grade student at Emerson Jr./
Sr.
High School , climbs into the NASCAR car that bears his winning design.
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Vincent Giacalone is no stranger to the spotlight. The 13-year-old Emerson Jr./Sr. High School student has always been interested in drama and singing, which he says, “runs in the family.” He has performed in school plays and sung in the Bergen County Chorus. Turn a camera his way, and chances are, a gleaming, toothy smile will beam back. Recently, he was given the chance to be a star on an entirely different stage, or more specifically, a racetrack.
In October, Vincent learned that he was the winner of the UPS Store/ Toys for Tots “Design Dale’s Ride” contest. The contest solicited submissions from students across the country, ages 5 to 12, for a design celebrating the Toys for Tots program to be painted on Nascar star Dale Jarrett’s car. Jarrett has served as a spokesman for the Toys for Tots program since 2005 and instituted the contest as a way for children to “learn the importance of reaching out to less fortunate members of our community.”
“You hear about these contests and you think, ‘Somebody else will probably win,’” says Vincent, adding that he was totally shocked when his design was chosen as one of ten finalists out of over 1,500 submissions. “This proves that someone has to win the contest, so, you never know. It could be you.”
Once he was selected as a finalist, the winner was chosen by Internet vote. According to Vincent, the outpouring of support from his schoolmates and teachers was overwhelming. “Some teachers would begin the classes by saying, ‘log onto the Internet and vote for Vincent,’” he says.
His mother, Teresa, says that the support went beyond the school level: “I would run into people at the supermarket and they would say, “I’ve been voting for Vincent!” She says that the community’s involvement has made her proud to be an Emerson resident.
Vincent’s winning design was brought to life on Jarrett’s #44 Camry. As part of the contest victory, Vincent and his parents won a free trip to a NASCAR race on Oct. 28 in
Atlanta , at which Jarrett drove the car to kick off the 2007 Toys for Tots fundraising campaign.
“Every lap, we looked at the car and said, ‘I can’t believe you designed that.’ It was surreal,” says Teresa. Vincent says that the most memorable moment at the race was when he met Jarrett and his team members, including team owner Michael Waltrip. They presented Vincent with a racing suit made to his measurements, which matched the suit worn by Jarrett in the race.
Through his involvement with the Boy Scouts, Vincent has been collecting for Toys for Tots since he was a kindergartner. He has been particularly involved with the program this year, coordinating the collection at his school. As part of achieving his “Citizenship of the Community” merit badge, he has hung flyers around school and in town in order to drum up public awareness for what he feels is a worthwhile cause. “The program is about giving presents to kids who would not otherwise get them. I tried to turn the whole car into a gift,” says Vincent of his design.
Vincent, who is, according to his mother, “a walking Nascar encyclopedia,” has been a fan of stock car racing since he was 7. Teresa says that she introduced him to racing as a remedy to rainy-day boredom. He took to it right away and is now a bigger fan than anyone else in his family.
“I like all the tension in the air,” he says of the many races he has attended, “the feeling that anything can happen.” Among his favorite activities are visiting NASCAR-centric Web sites to keep up with current racing trends and standings. He also likes to sand down his old Matchbox cars and repaint them, an indication of his artistic leanings.
On Dec. 10, the car featuring Vincent’s design was on display at Emerson Jr./
Sr.
High School . Vincent took the opportunity to don his racing gear and hoist himself into the driver’s seat. Unfortunately, he was not permitted to “start her up.” Although the car’s formidable engine was still in place, the battery had been removed.
While he maintains that his favorite driver has always been Jeff Gordon, Vincent says that Jarrett is now a close second, “for sentimental reasons.” He hopes to someday get into racing, although according to his mother, “not before finishing college.”
While he is interested in all aspects of NASCAR, from vehicle design to the pit crew, Vincent has his heart set on someday being behind the wheel. “I should get my learner’s permit in two years,” he says, a glint of anticipation in his eyes. But a sideways glance from Mom puts the brakes on his adolescent imaginings.
“I will obey the speed limit,” he adds quickly.
Karen F. Mrnarevic's e-mail address is Mrnarevic@northjersey.com
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