Tyler Reddick will show up to the Charlotte Roval this weekend with a special Jordan Brand scheme on his No. 45 Toyota Camry. This just isn't any scheme, however, it is the product of the Jordan Brand Wings initiative.

Instead of turning to someone who has designed cars for years, the Wings initiative brought in Charlotte-area students involved in the Carolina Youth Coalition and Rise2Impact foundations.

This continued Jordan Brand Wings' mission of providing opportunities to underserved youth through education, mentorship, and inspiration.

"It was one of those things that is just going to be forever memorable for those students who experienced this program," Cameryn Rutlin, global communications and purpose director for Jordan Brand Wings, told FanBuzz during a recent sitdown.

"I mean, that facility itself is just jaw dropping and then when you bring in the fact it's like, 'Hey, you get to do this super cool project. Come up with a design for a freaking race car!'"

How did these students create this unique design that celebrates Wings' 10-year anniversary? They worked directly with 223XI Racing. They also drew inspiration from a different project.

Back in 2018, students in Chicago helped design a special pair of AJ 5 sneakers. They opted for a hand-sketched look featuring bright colors and a little bit of comic book flair. Some of these elements moved over to Reddick's race car.

The Charlotte-area students, who have experience designing other projects through these programs, spent extensive time at Airspeed during this process while working with Reddick to figure out what he likes and dislikes.

"One student was like, 'Pinch me. There's no way,'" Rutlin said. '"This is Tyler Reddick. He came to speak to us.' I mean, he was so excited and it was beautiful. It was beautiful to see because the excitement was just... they had tons of questions for Tyler, just really trying to make sure that they covered all bases.

"They covered all grounds of what it is that's going to help equip Tyler on the day of the race to feel confident and feel supported and everything he needs to cross that finish line with the win."

These students also enjoyed a look behind the scenes of a championship-contending NASCAR organization. They toured the facility and saw where all of the different departments work. They witnessed the pit crews training for race day.

They also learned a significant amount about the business side of design work and some of NASCAR's rules.

"One of the things that's different from this design experience than some of the others where they do maybe a t-shirt or a hoodie or pair of shoes is when they design the car — and even to some extent the suit — they have to kind of be mindful of some of the kind of branding restrictions and marketing guidelines and where a certain logo placement has to be and understand there's an approval process for things," Aaron Randolph, co-founder of Carolina Youth Coalition, told FanBuzz.

"We don't just create what we want, and it's printed. So that's, honestly, that's a really big learning experience for them too, just to kind of see a little bit of the business side of it."

This isn't the first time that Wings has teamed up with Carolina Youth Coalition and other Charlotte-area organizations to simultaneously support local students and creating something unique for 23XI Racing.

Reddick also sported a Wings scheme during the Roval race in 2023. A different group of design students created this purple and black scheme as they enjoyed a truly memorable experience.

Both the 2023 scheme and the current iteration serve as milestones for Wings and CYC, which began operations in 2018.

As Randolph explained, having Wings support CYC — and these students by extension — has been a game changer. It expands the capabilities so they can better help these students prepare for college and future careers.

"A lot of that work, like ACT prep and writing coaching and tutoring is not necessarily the most sexy thing, right, for a 15-year-old to want to be a part of and commit to," Randolph said. "But our association with the Jordan brand and having those experiences makes it cool, right? Makes CYC cool.

"So I think that's been a big draw for a lot of students who have decided to join the program. Our partnership is really like threefold. So we do these design experiences. They also award a Wings scholarship every year, so it's a full-ride scholarship, which is always a huge deal.

"And then they also donate a product allotment to us each year, and so we get a chance to offer those incentives to fellows for different things and good behaviors."

Wings has awarded more than 4,000 scholarships with a goal to reach 10,000 in the next decade. It has helped 36 students land internships while working with 28 community partners around the world.

More than 1,400 students have participated in the design program while creating warmup shirts for professional basketball teams, unique sneaker designs, NASCAR schemes, and more.

A CYC student, in particular, received a full-ride scholarship to North Carolina A&T State University in 2022. She has since spent a summer interning at Nike while continuing her studies.

These partnerships between Jordan Brand Wings, CYC, Rise2Impact and other programs will continue as the organizations try to support the next generation through scholarships, mentorships, and other avenues.

Reddick, meanwhile, will continue his pursuit of the Cup Series championship this weekend. He will head to the Charlotte Roval and attempt to win his way into the Round of 8 of the playoffs.

He will do so while this group of design students take in the race day experience and watch their scheme race through the unique road course's turns.

"I'm excited to once again race a car with a scheme that's been designed by Wings students," Reddick said. "I had the opportunity to meet with the students, who are from the Charlotte area, at Airspeed during the design process to talk about what motivates me on race day, and it's cool to see their interpretations come to life on the car.

"It's also special to run the paint scheme during the 10th anniversary of the Wings Initiative, which has had such an impact on the lives of students. Through the paint scheme and collaboration with Wings, 23XI is proud to play a small role in supporting Michael Jordan's legacy of greatness and his passion for education."

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