Lincoln Students Rock Out at Fort Worth NASCAR Event
On April 9th, six students from Lincoln Tech’s Grand Prairie campus, along with two instructors, had the opportunity to meet the Stewart Haas Racing team, participate as VIPs and go behind-the-scenes at a NASCAR event: the O’Reilly’s Auto Parts 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. Students in the school’s computerized manufacturing program competed for the chance to attend the race by writing essays about the role of modern manufacturing in the U.S., and winners were selected by campus staff and faculty.
This amazing experience was made possible by Haas Automation, a partner in Lincoln’s Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Machining and Manufacturing Technology program. Haas manufactures the CNC machines used at Lincoln campuses in Grand Prairie, Indianapolis, and Mahwah (NJ), and sponsors the Haas Technical Education Center at each campus. Founder Gene Haas is also a partner in the Stewart Haas Racing Team, which competed at the April 9th race. As an added bonus, rock legend Ozzy Osbourne was there as a spectator and spent time with the Lincoln Tech entourage!
A Day to Remember with the Stewart Haas Racing Team
Winning students received an unbelievable experience that included personal tours of the car hauler, pits, and even the VIP motorhome. The students and instructors were even able to see the parts hauler that contains all the spare parts necessary for the racing team throughout the weekend. In fact, the majority of those parts were created in the team’s own CNC shop - on the same kinds of machines that Lincoln students train on every day! The whirlwind excursion also included lunch with the racing team, where they were able to sit in the pit seats with the crew chief and team engineers.
Rick Calverley, Education Supervisor at the Grand Prairie campus, summed it up: “Everyone returned with great stories and an entirely new perspective on the endless possibilities Lincoln Tech has given them in their future careers as CNC machinists.”
Lincoln Tech thanks the Haas Automation team and everyone at Stewart Haas Racing for helping create a once-in-a-lifetime experience!