Brighton Kid Celebrates Ford Racing 110th Birthday with Ford Family

When six-year-old Daniel Money picked out a book during his family's regular bi-weekly trip to , he had no idea it would take him all the way to Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn and introduce him to Edsel Ford II and William Clay Ford Jr.

But Daniel, a first grader at the Charyl Stockwell Academy, read the book, "Eat My Dust" by Monica Kolling and fell in love with the story of Henry Ford's first - and last - race in a car he built and called "Sweepstakes."

"My favorite part is when he wins the race," Daniel said. "I've read the book about 20 times."

Henry Ford raced to victory on a dirt track in Grosse Pointe on Oct. 10 1901, defeating Alexander Winton - a well known race car driver at the time.

Daniel's mother, Shannon Money - a Ford axle design engineer for the past 18 years - received an email that employees were invited to the 110th Anniversary of Ford Racing. Knowing how much her son enjoyed the story about Henry Ford, the Brighton resident thought he might like to see the famous car in person.

"To celebrate the 110th Anniversary, they were going to display the race car for the first time - they had just restored it," she said. "So I thought what a good way to tie in the story. This is a hard book for a first-grader. I thought it was a good way to reward all of his hard work."

About 75 people attended the celebration on Oct. 10. Daniel said he was the only "kid" there.

"When Edsel Ford II told the story of the race, Daniel stood there nodding his head," Money said. "He knew the story better than most everybody in the room."

Money said her son didn't know who the Ford men were, but was very impressed when she told him they were Henry Ford's great-grandsons.

"At his school, they teach them how to introduce themselves," Money said. " So Daniel walked right over to Bill Ford Jr., tapped him on the arm and said, 'Hi, I'm Daniel - nice to meet you.' All of these adults were staring. It was cute."

Daniel loved Henry Ford's story so much, he is dressing as him for Halloween.

"I'm wearing stripes, a red bow tie with suspenders, a hat and a blue pair of pants," he said. "He (Henry Ford) is cool."

He will also have a fake mustache and a Ford logo to complete the outfit. Now all he needs is a Ford car to finish the ensemble. For now though, Daniel will have to settle for carrying around a fake hand tool - at least until he gets his driver's license.