NASCAR and UTI breaks ground on technical institute

June 1, 2001
2:22 PM EDT (1822 GMT)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (May 22, 2001) -- Automotive enthusiasts can now take their passion for racing and turn it into a rewarding career. To boost the number of professional technicians entering the work force, The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) and Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (UTI) will break ground and begin construction of the NASCAR Technical Institute on May 23, 2001.

NASCAR Tech is the first technical training school to combine automotive and NASCAR technology. The $12 million, 140,000-sq. ft. school is an extension of NASCAR's Officially Licensed Automotive Aftermarket Program, and will be operated by UTI, the nation's leader in automotive technology training. Located in Mooresville, NC, in the heart of racing country, NASCAR Tech will draw upon the excitement of NASCAR to recruit quality students.

Completion of the campus is expected in spring 2002 with the first classes for the 57-week course beginning in the summer. The campus will sit upon 19 acres at the Talbert Pointe Business Park and will employ approximately 135 staff members. The NASCAR Technical Institute will train as many as 1,800 automotive and collision repair students annually.

To better involve the racing community, top NASCAR Winston Cup Series Crew Chiefs will assist with the development of NASCAR Tech coursework. Curriculum will focus on core entry-level automotive technology while allowing students to train in a NASCAR-related environment.

Students will learn about performance engines, electrical systems, drive trains, chassis and body fabrication. To support the number of technicians needed in the auto body industry, a 50,000-ft. Collision Repair Technology Program will also be added in a later phase.

In an effort to bring an increased number of qualified individuals to the sport, NASCAR and UTI will develop co-operative education and internship programs with race teams. These programs will enable students to develop more hands-on experience, while allowing NASCAR teams to evaluate and recruit.

"It is well known that there is a critical shortage of automotive technicians today," said Steve Boguski, vice president of strategic marketing and licensing for NASCAR. "UTI, the recognized leader in this field, has been addressing this issue since it began operations in 1965.

Today, as we break ground on this state-of-the-art facility, NASCAR will join UTI in drawing some of the top students into the field of automotive technology. Not only will this school help the automotive industry as a whole, it will provide a place for NASCAR race teams to look for qualified, trained technicians."

"NASCAR has always meant automotive excellence and excitement and Universal Technical Institute has always meant quality automotive technician training," says John C. White Chairman, UTI. Inc. "Put them both together and you have a quality training program that gives the automotive enthusiast a way to make money doing what they enjoy."

Since 1965, UTI, Inc. has recruited, trained and graduated approximately 65,000 professional technicians. The company maintains campuses in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois and Texas. Through its Custom Training Group division, UTI also sources and trains professional technicians for job opportunities with premier automotive manufacturers.

Custom Training offers students manufacturer-specific, hands-on training with industry customers such as Audi of America, BMW of North America, Jaguar Cars of North America, Mercedes-Benz USA, Inc., Porsche Cars of North America, Volvo Cars of North America and Volkswagen of America.

In addition, the division teaches over 375 classes for industry clients. With the opening of NASCAR Tech, the company hopes to extend its training expertise to the automotive aftermarket manufacturers involved with NASCAR.

"The shortage of qualified automotive service technicians is a very real concern for the aftermarket," said Alfred L. Gaspar, president and CEO of the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA). "For every 10 technicians who retire or change careers each year, only two to three new technicians enter the work force.

"The marriage of UTI's quality training programs and NASCAR's high visibility and popularity is a major and unprecedented approach to improving the image of the profession and, thus, attracting more young people to our industry."

"In the aftermarket, there is a camaraderie between automotive technicians and NASCAR crews and team members," said Odis Lloyd, director of NASCAR's automotive aftermarket program. "We look to help build the visibility of automotive technicians through this link with the NASCAR Technical Institute."

NASCAR's Officially Licensed automotive aftermarket program, developed in 1996, harnesses the sports core attributes-endurance, performance, precision-to build brand awareness, preference and sales for automotive-related products.

The program is supported by a fully integrated media platform, entitled "NASCAR Tech," which consists of a national weekly television show broadcast on Fox Sports Net, Care Care Council "Tech Tips" airing within MRN radio racing coverage and a quarterly magazine produced by Babcox publications.