Author: The Crusader Staff Writer, Alex Mullin
The brightest minds have come from across the country and the world to study an ever-expanding world of fast cars and big money, Motorsports, both national and international. The Belmont Abbey Motorsports Program has seen a lot of change over these past couple years. The program has opened new avenues and career opportunities for both upperclassmen and underclassmen who are looking to forge a career path in Motorsports.
To start off, there are a lot of different ways one may involve themselves in Motorsports. In the first semester of freshman year, the first course in the program is Intro to Motorsports at Sacred Heart Campus in Mercedes Hall to get a good introduction to the many classes that are taught within the program. From there, there are options to choose from in pursuing a Motorsports Management Major, which includes classes like History of Motorsports, Sports Broadcasting, and many more. Some of the esteemed faculty involved in the program include, but are not limited to: Professor Quinn Beekwilder, Professor Trey Cunningham, and Professor Matt Yocum just to name a few.
The program has recently produced some great talent in graduating classes in this past decade that have gone on to work for or own a professional NASCAR team, and the current group of upperclassmen look to continue that trend. Recently, the Motorsports Program made trips to Ford Performance Racing School, and both zMAX Dragway and the Charlotte Motor Speedway, giving students an opportunity to be more hands-on in learning about how the world of motorsports brings people together out of a pure desire to go fast and have fun.
Other than the main classes in Motorsports available at the Abbey, you can also join the Motorsports Club. There are many events they are currently organizing as the Motorsports scene slows down in off-seasons for organizations such as NASCAR and IndyCar, and the more people that are involved, the better. It is a great learning experience for learning about the world of Motorsports from local short track racing to international escapades of speed and sound. The club typically meets Thursdays at 6:30 P.M. in Student Commons unless noted otherwise.
This article was originally posted in the Fall 2022, Issue 2 of The Crusader Newspaper. Download the full issue.
