Universal Technical Institute’s (UTI) Mooresville campus, NASCAR Technical Institute (NASCAR Tech), is in the midst of another banner year for its student-built engine program, which builds Spec Engines for several race teams competing in the K&N Pro Series East, and race engines for the NASCAR Modified Series at Bowman Gray Stadium and the DIRTcar Modified Series. Two teams, Rev Racing and Hattori Racing Enterprises, will be running the student-built Spec Engines in this weekend’s United Site Services 70 NASCAR K&N Pro Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
About halfway through the 2019 season, the program has celebrated 14 wins, two poles, and 30 top 10 finishes across all series in which they compete. At the last K&N Pro Series race on June 1, Rev Racing’s Chase Cabre earned his first career victory with a NASCAR Tech student-built engine – the second straight year one of the school’s Spec Engines won the Memphis 150.
That same evening, driver Burt Myers won a Modified division race at Bowman Gray Stadium with a student-built engine even though he took the Fans’ Challenge, which required him to start at the back of the field.
“Our student-built engine program is just one more way we can showcase the talent and drive NASCAR Technical Institute students have,” said John Dodson, VP Business Alliances & NASCAR at Universal Technical Institute. “Our best and brightest have the opportunity to build these engines, and the experience opens doors for them to find an exciting, rewarding career in motorsports.”
NASCAR Tech honor students have been building engines for competitive races since 2009. Driver Nick Hoffman, son of Spec Engine program instructor Darrell Hoffman, has dominated the 2019 DIRTcar Summer Nationals with a student-built engine. Hoffman racked up an impressive 9 wins in the recent DIRTCAR Modified “Hell Tour,” which features 28 races in 32 days and covers about 3,800 miles from Peoria Speedway in Illinois to Oakshade Speedway in Ohio.
“What a year we’re having. Our student-built engines are among the fastest and most powerful on the track,” said Darrell Hoffman, chief instructor for the NASCAR Technical Institute student built engine program. “When our honor students can build engines that win in so many different series, it’s nothing short of phenomenal. I love teaching these students how to build and maintain race-winning engines.”
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.
Breaking Limits for NASCAR Technical Institute
