Working in NASCAR is not all glamour and bright lights. There's real work to be done. Photo by June Boone
The sessions are designed to build on skills taught in Pit Crew U and prepare graduates for tryouts and placement with a professional over-the-wall team.
"It's more like a gym membership," Klopp says. "There's a monthly fee [and] you get continuing coaching to refine your skills. Some of our graduates work in our Corporate Team Building program. Some go to USAR or ARCA or low-level trucks."
PIT often provides crews for low-budget teams that may only run part-time. Ten grads of the program spent six weeks in Hollywood doing a live stage show for Disney in conjunction with the release of the movie Cars. Some have been on Good Morning America. PIT graduates helped Frank Kimmel win his eighth ARCA championship last year.
"They get seen and recognized," says Klopp. "The time from enrollment to a Cup team is maybe 2 to 2 1/2 years. Racing traditionally is about who you know. If you get an opportunity, make the most of it."
What if you have a strong desire to get into racing, but don't have a lot of technical knowledge or skill?
Most states have technical schools that teach welding, autobody, and mechanical skills. North Carolina's community colleges already have programs that teach the specific skills needed for jobs in NASCAR, and they are working on new curriculums designed with the help of Cup teams to train workers specifically for the industry. (See Pole Position, pg. 12)
Randy Cox, technical instructor at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, in Concord, North Carolina, says one of the biggest problems is that middle schools and high schools stress academics as more important than learning to fabricate. He estimates that the lowest starting salary is at least $50,000 for a fabricator on the smallest two-car Cup team.
"We won't find a cure for cancer, we won't create world peace, but we can buy a lot of groceries," he remarks.
Race teams are not the only option for a career in motorsports. Companies that supply parts for racing, such as Comp Performance Group in Memphis, Tennessee, also need skilled workers.
Scooter Brothers, director of research and development, says the worst thing you can do is hire somebody who already knows everything.
"They have to be smart enough to know they don't know everything," he says.
He looks for people who are team players, who know the basics with some hands-on experience. The ability to communicate is important, too.
"Students don't want to hear this," he says, "but for me curriculum is less important than good grades. Good grades show how well they apply themselves."
UNC Charlotte, Clemson University, the University of Indiana, the University of Colorado, and the University of Northwestern Ohio are just a few of the four-year institutions that have motorsports programs. Entry into such programs requires students who have excelled in math and science in secondary school.
"American students today don't like math and science," says Dr. W. Tad Foster, professor and dean of Indiana State University at Terre Haute's College of Technology. "We struggle with recruiting because of that. Racing adds a fun factor that helps in recruiting students."
Foster says that engineering programs should be hands-on from day one. Students are required to do internships in industry.
For those who don't want to spend two or more years getting an Associate's or an advanced degree, Hedgecock Racing Academy, in High Point, North Carolina, may be the answer.
Jay Hedgecock has raced for 35 years. During that time he's trained a lot of people to build race cars, only to have them hired away by teams with more money.
"I think every team has some of my former employees," he says. "I probably have 30 at Childress."
Hedgecock got tired of training people only to lose them. In 2005, he formed Hedgecock Racing Academy. Now he gets paid to train workers for the industry.
Crewmen have to be able to fix anything, anywhere. Photo by Jerry F. Boone
"Seventy-five percent of my students have no experience when they start," he says. "They just like racing and working on cars. None of the teams hire people with no experience anymore. They don't have time to train people."
Academy classes are currently limited to 10 and last just nine weeks. In the first five weeks students learn about welding, sheetmetal fabrication, bending rollbars, notching tubing, frame jigs, suspension, and making steel and aluminum panels. The remaining four weeks are spent building a stock car from the ground up and testing it.
After one full year in business, Hedgecock's Academy boasts a 62 percent hiring rate.
"It would have been higher," Hedgecock says, "but four of them didn't want a job with a race team."
By February, he expected to have his school accredited as a private community college in North Carolina, making it possible for students to get federal loans. Graduates will receive an Apprenticeship Certificate.
Finally, and most importantly, you have to have a passion for motorsports.
"A lot of people have skills," Klopp says, "but they don't have the desire."
When he speaks of PIT graduates who succeed, he speaks of heart and determination. That could be said of anyone who chooses to enter motorsports. Preparing yourself to work in the field takes hard work, passion, and commitment. It's not a field for the faint of heart, but if you love what you're doing, it's worth it.
So, how about Charlie Pecht, the University of Idaho student looking for a job?
He's on the right track. He's getting educated with his mechanical engineering degree. He's getting hands-on experience with his own race team. The next step is to move to where the jobs are, where he can make the contacts to launch a career.
What You Can Do
Get an education. In high school, take as much math and science as possible. Get an advanced degree or training. Good grades can demonstrate a willingness to work hard.
Get experience. Work on race teams, first as a volunteer if necessary. Hone your skills. Work on your fitness level.
Be available. Move to where the jobs are.
Build credibility. Make contacts by working in racing. Who you know is important. Work hard, be reliable. Your reputation is your best advertisement. Be realistic about your abilities. Make the most of your opportunities.
Be patient. It takes time and hard work to become the best.
Support Careers
There's more to racing than just racing, and not everyone wants to be a fabricator, a pit crewman, or a race engineer. Workers are needed to manage tracks and teams in areas such as administration, public relations, accounting, event planning, marketing, hospitality, and human relations.
Colleges and universities have created programs that offer training in motorsports support careers.
Clemson University's Brooks Institute for Sports Science in Clemson, South Carolina, is one example of a multidisciplinary approach to motorsports. In addition to its engineering department, other programs address industry needs in marketing, management, and communications. NASCAR, NHRA, American Le Mans and companies such as Ford, GM, Chrysler, BMW, Michelin, and Rockwell Automation partner with the university.
Indiana State University at Terre Haute offers a new minor in motorsports management.
Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina has a bachelor of science in motorsports management curriculum proposed for this fall.
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State School in Greensboro, North Carolina, has a technical management course as well as a Certificate in Pit Crew Technology.
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College in Concord, North Carolina, has had a program addressing both the technical and management aspects of racing for nearly 10 years and offers online classes.