Nine graduates of Universal Technical Institute (UTI) and its NASCAR Technical Institute (NASCAR Tech) campus have been honored at the White House for their winning performance on the race track.
President Donald Trump recognized driver Joey Logano, Team Penske owner Roger Penske, and the rest of the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion crew for their 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series title. Logano’s crew included three graduates from NASCAR Tech in Mooresville, N.C., and one graduate from UTI’s campus in Houston, Texas.
Driver Simon Pagenaud, Roger Penske, and Team Penske’s No. 22 Mendards/DXC Technology Dallara/Chevrolet, including five graduates from NASCAR Tech, also visited the White House to celebrate Pagenaud’s Indianapolis 500 victory. Following the race, one of those graduates, Trey Williams of Monroe, N.C., was able to kiss the bricks of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s famous Brickyard.
Logano said he was humbled to see his race car on the South Lawn of the White House and told the President, “It takes an amazing team.”
John Dodson, VP Business Alliances & NASCAR at UTI, accompanied Logano and his crew to Washington, D.C. “I’m so proud of these graduates. Every time I see them, they thank NASCAR Tech for helping them succeed,” Dodson said. “Our focused education and relationships in motorsports open doors for our graduates, but they earn their spots on these elite teams through passion and hard work.”
NASCAR Tech is the exclusive educational provider for NASCAR and the only campus in the country to offer NASCAR-endorsed training. NASCAR Tech’s Mooresville, N.C. campus offers the standard Universal Technical Institute core automotive training program, with an optional 15-week elective to train students preparing for a career in motorsports. The 15-week elective trains students in everything from engines, fabrication, and welding, to aerodynamics and pit crew essentials. Through NASCAR Tech’s elite Spec Engine program, select students have the opportunity to build engines that will compete in NASCAR-sanctioned races.
Breaking Limits for NASCAR Technical Institute