It's been about a year and a half since race car driver Austin Varco launched his Race4Autism program. In that time, he has raised thousands of dollars for autism-related nonprofits and introduced the sport to almost 10,000 people on the spectrum.
Varco tells Producer Heather Jordan that when he was diagnosed at 20 years old, everything clicked.
"I started talking to other people who were on the autism spectrum, and I shared a lot of the same struggles," and when that happened, he said, "I thought, man, what a cool thing it would be to use my racing career as a platform."
It's an exciting time for Varco and his team, with several big events on the way for 2024, including a big NASCAR Advanced Auto Parts Series debut in Irwindale -- The race was scheduled for this Saturday but has been postponed due to the weather.
If you catch one of Varco's race, you might see a familiar logo on his car and suit - former KNX Heroes Special Needz Coffee.
As for future Race4Autism events, Varco said they plan to hold two: one in the summer and one in the fall.
You can follow Varco's racing and advocacy work on his website and social media.
Check out all our KNX Heroes here.
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