Wyler Racing to Carry Autism Awareness Month Logos in Kansas

With Autism Awareness Month winding down, the Wyler Racing No. 60 Wyler.com Toyota will carry special Autism Speaks logos during the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 race weekend at Kansas Speedway on April 25 and 26.

“There are several people on our team that have been touched by autism, and we want to do our part to try to raise awareness,” said Wyler Racing team manager Tom Buzze. “Right now we have no idea what causes autism and there’s no known cure. It’s something that affects one out of every 150 children. We’re showing our support for the cause and doing everything we can to raise awareness. Maybe someone sees our truck and makes the decision to have their child evaluated and we help get that child the attention needed.”

One of the team members that is affected personally by autism is driver Terry Cook. Cook’s son Cody has recently been diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified, or PDD-NOS.

“It is very personal for us because of our son Cody,” Cook said. “We are very fortunate because Cody’s diagnosis isn’t as severe as other cases. But when we heard the doctor tell us that he was on the autism spectrum, it was very scary. Like a lot of people in our generation, our only exposure to autism was the movie “ Rain Man. ” But we’ve done a lot of research and educated ourselves. The key thing for us was early intervention. Because of that the doctors and specialists we’ve seen say our son has a much better chance at living a ‘normal’ life. That’s part of the message we want to deliver. If you think there is the slightest issue with your child, please get it checked out. It could be that there’s nothing wrong, but if there is it’s not something that will get better by itself. Early intervention is very important.

“Another one of the things we’d like to bring some attention to is that most of the treatments are not covered by insurance,” Cook continued. “On top of that, there’s usually a very long waiting list. It’s heartbreaking to think someone may have not be able to have their child evaluated because they can’t afford it and it’s equally disappointing to think that someone might not be able to place their child into a therapy that can help because there aren’t any programs available in their area without a waiting list that’s years long.”

Cook and the Wyler Racing team return to action after a month’s sabbatical in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway. Practice and qualifying are scheduled for Friday April 25, with the 167-lap/250-mile race scheduled for 6 P.M. on Saturday. SPEED will broadcast the race live with pre-race coverage starting at 5:30 P.M. Eastern. MRN Radio will have the live radio broadcast on select affiliates nationwide as well as Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 128.

For more information on Autism Awareness Month, please visit www.autismspeaks.org.