Urban Youth Racing School Students Visit Hendrick Motorsports

The Urban Youth Racing School is proud to have offered its 5th annual "Live It to Learn It" voyage to one of NASCAR's main hubs, Charlotte, North Carolina. This exciting hands-on learning experience was a chance for 15 advanced students in the school to live in the exciting world of NASCAR in order to learn more about the motorsports world. Held August 13th through the 18th, 2006, students participated in a full week of site visits and informative lectures from professionals who live and breathe NASCAR. In addition, there where 5 students who worked with acclaimed race shops, such as Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendricks Motorsports, completing hands-on internships. The tour of NASCAR Country encompassed all aspects of racing: construction and development of a team, press and media coverage, and the technology behind it all. Hendricks Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Penske Racing, Chip Gannassi Racing and Dale Earnhardt Inc. provided a crucial overview of racing teams, from their beginning stages to their flourishing legacies, along with a gourmet lunch provided by Bank Of America at DEI's prestigious Country Club. Students were also exposed to the media coverage that NASCAR receives by participating in a guided tour and informational where the students were able to go on the set and put their anchor and production skills to the test, hosted by Speed Channel, a cable television station dedicated to offering auto and motorcycle racing coverage, news and commentary. NASCAR itself opened its doors to the NASCAR Research and Development Center, giving the students a look at new and prevailing technologies such as NASCAR's car of tomorrow . The NASCAR Licensing Office in Downtown Charlotte gave the students serious insight into the world of the NASCAR licensing empire. To further the educational exposure to innovative technology, Penske Technology Center, home of the most advanced moving ground plane wind tunnel commercially available in the world, provided an interactive learning experience for the students to gain a behind-the-scenes look at how science and technology become crucial to racing success. Also included in the tour were Universal Tech Institute and 5off 5on, where UYRS students were treated to dinner and were addressed by Jeff Hammond, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Commentator and Adrian Branch, former NBA star, who is now the color analyst for the Charlotte Bobcats. The Urban Youth Racing School strives to present its students with a holistic view of the motorsports industry. About Urban Youth Racing School UYRS is committed to the education, training and preparation of today's urban youth through exposure to the automotive and motorsports industry. Since it's inception in 1998, UYRS has had over 1100 children go through their 10 week "Build A Dream" and "Driver/Team Development" Programs involving over 40 mentors who have been a part of the school for over 5 years. Additionally, the school has given away over $40,000 in educational scholarships, taken 40 UYRS students to Charlotte, North Carolina to visit NASCAR race teams, and participates in the annual Sears Craftsman/UYRS weeklong internship program. UYRS is committed to making diversity and youth issues a national priority. www.uyrs.com