TULSA, Okla. — Emma and the reindeer are running the Chili Bowl!
Well, not really, but 1990 winner John Heydenreich will sport decals featuring the cover of the popular children’s book on the sides of his Superior Tank and Trailer Sales #22J at the 40th Chili Bowl Nationals presented by NOS Energy Drink Jan. 12-17 at the SageNet Center here.
The goal of “Emma and the Reindeer” is to empower kids age 8 to 12 to make small changes to help the environment: things like turning off lights when leaving a room, recycling, not littering, limiting water consumption, etc.
Written by longtime SPEED SPORT reporter and PR rep Linda Mansfield using the pen name Emma Gallagher, the book won second prize in the “children’s environmental books” category at the Global Book Awards, and it was tagged as a “top new release” in two categories on Amazon.
The cover features the main character, 11-year-old aspiring author Emma Gallagher, and Blitzen, one of Santa’s reindeer. The premise is that Christmas is in jeopardy since climate change is destroying the magic food Santa’s reindeer need to eat in order to fly on Christmas Eve. Emma accepts the challenge to go to the North Pole, interview the reindeer to get their environmental tips, and write a children’s book to spread the reindeer’s tips to kids around the world and save Christmas as well as the Earth.
Although it’s not a racing book per se, one of the supporting characters is an elf who has won snowmobile championships. A championship-winning sprint car driver is mentioned too, because Emma and her family are sprint and midget fans.
Copies autographed by the author will be for sale at the Chili Bowl by John’s daughter, Madilynn Heydenreich, at Thomas Meseraull’s T-shirt trailer. It’s also available on Amazon and on Barnes & Noble’s website. The decals were made by Mindy’s Brownsburg Signs of Brownsburg, Ind., which is owned by Mindy and Jimmy Kite. Fans will remember Jimmy Kite for his drives in midgets, sprints, and USAC Silver Crown cars, as well as his five Indy 500 starts.
