Richland One to Announce Development of Motorsports Program at News Conference

Start your engines! Richland One soon will be the first school district in South Carolina with a program that will teach students the ins and outs of the multibillion-dollar motorsports industry.

The North Carolina Motorsports Association has formed an agreement with Richland One to support their development of this program. Students in the program will learn through hands-on experiences and will be challenged by real-world scenarios, which are the same as today’s major NASCAR teams.

The motorsports-themed program is designed to inspire students to further their learning in the areas of manufacturing, engineering, business management, finance, marketing and other valuable career, team-building and life skills.

"Our students will learn how to do just about everything except race the car," said David Prigge, Richland One’s career and technology education coordinator. "No other school district in South Carolina is doing this. We are excited about the trust the Association is putting in our ability to train and prepare students for possible careers in the motorsports industry."

Details about the program will be announced at a news conference Wednesday, August 12 at 2:40 p.m. on the campus (or in the Conference Center in the event of rain) of the Heyward Career and Technology Center, 3560 Lynhaven Drive. News conference participants will include representatives from the Motor Sports Association and Richland One. A show car from NASCAR Technical Institute also will be on display at the event.

The North Carolina Motorsports Association represents the $6 billion-dollar racing industry and has a focus on workforce development. Richard Petty is the chairman of the Board of Trustees and Rick Hendrick serves as vice chairman. Steve Earwood, president and owner of Rockingham Dragway, is the current chairman of the Board of Directors. The Board is made up of more than a dozen high-profile individuals in the motorsports and business communities. The staff of the North Carolina Motorsports Association is led by Executive Director Andy (Papa) Papathanassiou, a 17-year veteran of the motorsports industry.

"The NCMA looks forward to supporting Richland One to get this program off the ground," stated Shawn Stewart, marketing director for the NCMA. "Motorsports provides an exciting way to learn so many subjects and most of all can inspire students to take on career paths they might not have previously thought about. While all won’t take a path into motorsports, we can be proud that our industry is sparking students to learn skills that can be used in several industries. At the same time we are building the pipeline for the motorsports industries future workforce."

For more information, contact the Richland One Office of Communications at 231-7504 or 231-7510.