Thomas Built Buses has unveiled a video tribute to school bus drivers that features another kind of driver – NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt, Jr.  The Thomas Built video highlights school bus driver’s integral part in education.

In the video, Earnhardt surprises drivers at Cabarrus (NC) County Schools, thanking them and other school bus drivers for the service they provide for students. “Bus drives are critical. For a lot of kids, riding a school bus is the only way that they can get to school,” Earnhardt said. “Every day there are thousands and thousands of bus drivers on the road who are very serious about having a positive impact on kid’s lives. I am proud to partner with Thomas Built Buses to thank school bus drivers for their role in getting kids to school safely and everything they do.”

Earnhardt is from Kannapolis, NC,  in Cabarrus County. He retired from racing at the Cup level this past weekend in the last race of the 2017 season at Homestead Raceway in Florida.