New class set for NASCAR Diversity Internships

Posted on May 19, 2014 by

Group of 14 students to gain experience in motorsports workplace

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 19, 2014) — Established nearly 15 years ago to expose multicultural college students to employment opportunities in one of the largest professional sports industries, the NASCAR Diversity Internship Program welcomed the next wave of students seeking to learn about the industry during the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race weekend.

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Throughout the 10-week, paid internship, 14 students will contribute to the multi-faceted motorsports workforce by learning from leading NASCAR executives in weekly lunch and learns and networking with professionals across the industry, starting with orientation. For many, attending the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, Sprint Showdown and NASCAR Sprint All-Star race live from Charlotte Motor Speedway this past weekend, was their first live racing experience.

“We’re thrilled to have top college students from across the country join us to learn more about our sport,” said Paula Miller, NASCAR vice president and chief human resources officer. “NASCAR is deeply committed to diversity and inclusion in our workforce and the NASCAR Diversity Internship Program enables us to identify strong talent early. Through the years we’ve hired many of the program’s participants, and seen many others go on to excel elsewhere in sports and business.”

The NASCAR Diversity Internship Program has created opportunities for students to take on substantive projects in the industry to prepare them for long-term success. At the conclusion of last year’s program, five interns were offered fulltime employment opportunities across NASCAR and the International Speedway Corporation (ISC), including:

— Antoinette Diaz, a graduate of the University of West Georgia, joined ISC’s Sales and Marketing department;

— Jusan Hamilton, an All-American track and field athlete from Ithaca College, joined NASCAR’s Integrated Marketing Communications department;

— Robert Harbour, a graduate of Florida State University, joined Octagon;

— Lauren Houston, a University of North Carolina Chapel Hill graduate, joined NASCAR’s Diversity Affairs department; and

— Cameron McCarty, a graduate of North Carolina State University, joined NASCAR’s Media Operations.

Students were treated to an exclusive look at safety and technology innovations with guided tours of the NASCAR Research & Development Center during orientation. They also visited NASCAR Productions, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Hendrick Motorsports and the Sam Bass Gallery to conclude their overall introduction before diving into day-to-day work with their respective departments.

In addition to the NASCAR and International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) offices in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Charlotte, N.C., Rev Racing, the development arm of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program, also welcomes an intern to their team.

The 2014 NASCAR Diversity Internship class includes the following students from colleges and universities around the nation:

Interns	Internship Assignments	College or University	Hometowns
Aaron Hinton	NASCAR Information Technology	University of Missouri at St. Louis	Saint Louis, MO
Chloe Kerr	NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications	Georgetown University	Bolingbrook, IL
Cyrus Ghadimi	NASCAR Licensing	University of South Florida	Holly Hill, FL
Gabriela Nazario	NASCAR Human Resources	University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez	Cidra, PR
Gregory Carty	NASCAR Industry Services	Winston-Salem State University	Durham, NC
Hakeem Onafowokan Jr.	NASCAR Public Affairs	The University of Minnesota Law School	Minneapolis, MN
Jessica Sisk	NASCAR Weekly and Touring	University of Alabama in Huntsville	Estillfork, AL
Karmen Robinson	Rev Racing	North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University	Richmond, VA
Laura Fuentes Burgos	NASCAR Digital Media-Mobile	University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez	Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Lucia Ha	NASCAR Product Engineering	Syracuse University	Artesia, CA
Miguel Ortiz Burgos	The NASCAR Foundation	Stetson University	Humacao, Puerto Rico
Pedro Mojica	International Motor Sports Association (IMSA)	University of Texas at San Antonio	Killeen, TX
Yan (Stella) Zhuang	NASCAR Market and Media Research	Columbia University	Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province, China
Wesley Robinson	NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications	Benedict College	Estill, SC

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Posted on May 19, 2014 by Staff Report

With two wins already this season, pressure’s off for ‘Happy’ Harvick

Kevin Harvick has two career victories at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Coca-Cola 600 and both have come in the past three runnings of the sport’s longest race. Harvick won with Richard Childress Racing in both 2011 and 2013 despite leading just 30 laps total in both victories. Now with Stewart-Haas Racing, Harvick placed second to Jamie McMurray in the 2014 All-Star Race at CMS. This season, Harvick is one of two drivers (along with Joey Logano), with multiple victories, as he looks to win his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Nascar

Six-time champ provides perspective now that he’s inside the voting process

With less than two weeks remaining before this year’s voting for the NASCAR Hall of Fame was scheduled to take place, Jimmie Johnson was still trying to wrap his head around the process.

Never mind the candidates.

"I have my book," the six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion proudly proclaimed. "I’ve read through it.

"This process is what I’ve been most excited for. I’m a bit nervous about voting; I hear it’s fun and very conversational. A lot of fun to come when we sit down on the 21st (of May) and share opinions."

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The addition of Johnson, as the defending Sprint Cup champion, to the voting panel is one of several changes that have been made to this year’s NASCAR Hall of Fame voting process. Also, this year the voting panel will consider 20 nominees rather than the 25 that had been the case for the first five years (2010-2014).

The voting panel consists of 32 members; the 22-member nominating committee also has voting rights. One additional vote is determined via fan input (vote on NASCAR.com).

"I definitely have an opinion and look forward to understanding the process," the Hendrick Motorsports driver said. "Some (nominees) I knew, I knew their background but I learned a little bit more. Others, I’m getting a nice little glimpse into their part of NASCAR and their history in NASCAR."

First-time nominees on this year’s ballot are former series champions Bill Elliott and Terry Labonte, 19-time race winner Buddy Baker, Modified standout Mike Stefanik and engine builder/team owner Robert Yates.

Rick Hendrick is one of seven nominees that have been on the ballot each year since the inaugural 2010 class was named. Johnson said he wouldn’t be swayed by the fact that he has spent his entire career driving for the successful team owner.

"I’m trying honestly to look at statistics because I’ve only been in this sport 13 years," he said. "When they’re going back (into the) ‘50s, ‘60s, I don’t know those folks. It’s very difficult … and I’m thankful there are many others to vote, that it’s not all on me.

"So that’s where I’ve gone with things. Bill Elliott, all this time I’ve just known him as Awesome Bill that won the Winston Million … you look at him, what he’s accomplished and you naturally think a Hall of Famer. But it’s tough to weigh it all out. … I don’t know what to expect and I’m trying to walk in there with statistics leading me in the decisions I make.

"(Richard) Childress and Hendrick are both still actively racing and they’re what, fifth- or sixth-year (nominees)? Does that have any bearing because they’re still active? You’d think both would be in."

He may be unsure of the procedure, and uncertain of who he will ultimately vote for, but Johnson said he’s positive of one thing — he will be on hand to take part in the process.

"Absolutely," he said. "I look at it as a great honor to be a part of this, a great opportunity for me to learn.

"I’ve been so far removed from all of this (growing up). We’d catch a race or two on television in the ‘80s and ’90s. I’m pretty far removed, but I do care about the sport, I do care about the Hall of Fame and I look forward to the experience."

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