Diversity Mentorship program news 2006-08-30

NASCAR Diversity Mentorship Program Provides Hands-On Experience

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 30, 2006) -- The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) has developed an at-track diversity mentorship program to provide diverse college students an in-depth look at the business side of the NASCAR industry. The program gives two students a weekend-long behind-the-scenes look at the different aspects of NASCAR.

"The mentorship program, like the NASCAR Diversity Internship Program, is aimed at introducing diverse students to the many different career opportunities in NASCAR," said Marcus Jadotte, NASCAR Managing Director of Public Affairs, who oversees the diversity department. "It is one of our several off-track diversity initiatives that is helping to further diversify the business side of our industry."

Two students from California State University San Bernardino (CSUSB) will participate in the program at California Speedway this weekend. Veronica Moran, a junior Business Psychology major, and Danny Dodson, a senior Graphics and Marketing major, will spend the weekend shadowing employees from NASCAR Series Operations, Sprint Nextel, XM Satellite Radio and NASCAR Images.

"These CSUSB students are connecting with the real world of NASCAR at California Speedway," said Dick Dixon, Director of the International Motorsports Alliance at CSUSB. "This level of activity is unfounded for our students and the exposure is a huge lifetime experience leading to insight as a career path opportunity."

The program, which was implemented at the end of last year, has taken place at five NASCAR weekends this year -- Texas Motor Speedway (Apr. 7-9), Richmond International Raceway (May 4-6), Darlington Raceway (May 11-13), Dover International Speedway (June 2-4) and Daytona International Speedway (June 30 -- July 1).

The mentee positions are available to full-time college students in each race market that the program is taking place in. To be eligible, students must be in good standing with their school and community and must have a minimum 3.0 grade point average. Future mentorship experiences are tentatively planned for Dover International Speedway, Lowe's Motor Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway.

In addition to the mentorship program, NASCAR has an annual diversity internship program, awards diversity scholarships in tribute to NASCAR legend Wendell Scott and has a college tour that visits Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic Serving Institutions.

-credit: nascar