CONCORD, N.C. – At Hendrick Motorsports, science, technology, engineering and math are crucial to success on and off the track.
With that in mind, the organization started the Ignition 2 STEM initiative to focus on explaining how those four education disciplines are utilized in various Hendrick Motorsports careers.
This week marks National Engineers Week, and the purpose is to call attention to the contributions that engineers make to society.
So it seemed like a perfect time to introduce the race engineers for all four Hendrick Motorsports teams.
After meeting race engineers from the Nos. 5, 24 and 48 teams, here's an introduction to Adam Wall, a race engineer for the No. 88 team.
ADAM WALL
Race engineer for the No. 88 team
Where are you from and how did you begin at Hendrick Motorsports?
I'm originally from Teutopolis, Illinois. I volunteered for a small race team while I was in college, and one of the guys I worked with put my name in for a part-time job at Hendrick Motorsports. I landed the internship and worked my way up from there.
Where did you go to school?
I went to UNC Charlotte and majored in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in motorsports.
How would you describe your job?
My main responsibility is documentation. I am in charge of making sure everything that happens during a race weekend is recorded. That includes all of the changes to the car, lap times, and driver comments.
How does your job translate to success on the track?
Making sure we understand the past is key when tackling the present and preparing for the future. The information we log during a weekend is vital to the development of our cars. We need to know what changes were good and bad to know where we need to improve.
How do you use STEM in your career?
From measuring the cars on 3D coordinate systems to calculating how far we can go on a tank of gas, science and math are everywhere in our sport. One of the many ways I use math is by graphing the data used to analyze different areas of the car. The spring, for example, will return a certain force (pounds) based on how much it is compressed (inches). This allows us to characterize the springs by their rate, force/displacement (pounds/inch). We use springs with different rates as a tuning tool.
What was your most important (or favorite) subject in school?
Math was always my favorite subject and that's part of what helped me get into the field I am in. I was looking for a field that I thoroughly enjoyed and would utilize my strengths in school (math and science). Engineering does that for me.
Do you have any advice for kids who might want to get into racing to follow in your footsteps?
Hard work pays off. Don't let yourself get discouraged when it comes to your dream. If you truly want something, you can make it happen.
What was your first job that relates to your current position?
I started at Hendrick Motorsports four years ago as a part-time worker in the Chassis Fabrication Shop. I mainly swept floors and cut tubing. At the time, it felt like a waste because I was not using my degree. In hindsight, it was a great opportunity to start from the bottom and see a different side of this whole process.