Belmont Abbey College Motorsports Management Program

Crawford Race Cars and Childress-Howard Motorsports proud to introduce college students to sports car racing

Representatives of Childress-Howard Motorsports and Crawford Race Cars, Ryan McCarthy and Trudie Crawford Capece, recently visited Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, North Carolina. The team and sports car manufacturer were honored by the invitation and opportunity given by Dr. Tracy Rishel, Director of Motorsports Management at Belmont Abbey, to acquaint the students in the Motorsports Fundamentals class with sports car racing, the Grand-Am series and Childress-Howard Motorsports itself.  

The visit was part of a guest speaker program that Dr. Rishel organizes to teach her class about the various kinds of American motor sports series operating today and those, other than NASCAR, that are based in the Charlotte area. Speakers from local drag and dirt track racing will also visit her class this semester. Belmont Abbey College offers a bachelor’s degree in Business Management with a concentration in Motorsports Management, the first program of its type in the United States.

Dr. Rishel stated "it is with the support of organizations in the motorsports industry, such as Childress-Howard Motorsports, that our Motorsports Management Program has been so successful. Our students have had the opportunity to have direct access to experts within the industry through the guest speakers that take time out of their schedule to present in our classes, the field trips and tours teams and tracks allow our students to participate in, and the internship opportunities provided within a wide variety of motorsports organizations. This exposure to different aspects of the motorsports industry has resulted in many of our students obtaining permanent employment within the industry after graduation. The Motorsports Management Program at Belmont Abbey College is very fortunate to have this level of industry interest and support in developing talented young people to help mold the future of the sport."

CHM team members, Ryan McCarthy and Trudie Crawford Capece discussed the history of sports car racing, the current road racing series and the similarities and differences between them and other types of racing. They also presented the class with presentations on prototype race cars, Grand-Am and Childress-Howard Motorsports, as well as an introductory video on the historic Rolex 24 at Daytona.  CHM engineer, Ryan McCarthy, who worked in both Champ Car and the Indy Car series before joining Childress-Howard Motorsports, also gave a presentation on the Indy Racing League. Ryan described the opportunity as “great to speak with students who are so interested in what they are learning.  They seem passionate about racing and genuinely excited to be in class. Many had a surprising knowledge of sports cars, and a few asked questions I never expected!”

The class followed up the presentation with a visit to the Crawford Composites and Crawford Race Cars facility and the Childress-Howard shop in Denver, NC. During their tour they saw first hand the design through manufacturing and assembly processes and a variety of sports cars themselves, including the team’s current Crawford DP08 and the Crawford SSC2K.

For information on the Motorsports Management at Belmont Abbey College please visit the two websites below.

http://www.belmontabbeycollege.edu/academics/programs/concentration/motor-sports-management.aspx