AAA Mid-Atlantic, Urban Youth Racing School Will Have Frank Discussion With Teens About Risks They Face On The RoadDuring Forum At the IDEA Public Charter High School in DC                        Should officials raise the teenage driving age to 17 or even to  18? Should greater restrictions be placed on rookie drivers? Should the District of Columbia require students to take driver’s education? Each year, young drivers and their passengers represent a disproportionate number of the persons killed and injured in traffic crashes, the leading cause of death among teenagers. AAA Mid-Atlantic, the Urban Youth Racing School (UYRS), and the Dover International Speedway will hold a teen driving safety summit in Washington tomorrow in the hope of instilling a better appreciation of the need for responsible driving.                                                    UYRS students talking about their driving experiences and how it relates to teen driver safety.   Thirteen teenagers lost their lives in automobiles crashes in the Washington metro region shortly after the start of school last fall. 12 of the 13 fatalities occurred on suburban roads. Nationwide, more than 5000 teenagers – including 1000 16-year-old drivers - die each year in car crashes. The reason? Too little experience, too many passengers, too many distractions, and too little oversight. Are more safe-driving initiatives warranted?

Teen Driving Safety Talk

One Month Before National teen Driving Safety Week

AAA Mid-Atlantic is bringing David Ragan, NASCAR driver of the No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion, to the Urban Youth Racing School in Philadelphia to deliver a teen driving safety message to students.

Teen drivers are at high risk for crashes - more so than any other age group. Inexperience, immaturity, overconfidence, peer pressure and risky behavior contribute to most teen crashes.

This event is designed to raise awareness among young drivers that while driving can be fun; it can also be dangerous. We hope to instill a better appreciation among these young students of the need for responsible driving. No one is more aware of the need to drive with care and skill than a professional race car driver.

AAA has been instrumental in efforts strengthen teen driving laws across the country and to improve teen driver safety by raising awareness of the severity of the problem, bolstering driver education and improving the licensing process. AAA remains commited to helping teens survive the most dangerous period of their lives and that of their peers: learning to drive.

David Ragan, driver of the No. 6 AAA Ford Fusion

At 23 years of age, David Ragan has been racing on a track since age 11, long before he could legally drive. Originally from Unadilla, Ga., Ragan now stands 14th overall in points. He finished the 2007 season as the runner-up for the rookie of the year title, and has been driving the AAA car since October 2006

Ragan is in the Philadelphia area in preparation for the upcoming Sept. 19-21, 2008 NASCAR race weekend in Dover International Speedway.

AAA Mid-AAtlantic

AAA has been representing motorists and travelers for more than 100 years. One in three licensed drivers is a AAA uses motorsports activities to promote teen driving safety among young people. AAA was involved in auto racing at the first indianapolis 500 in 1911, sanctioning and keeping records for the race. This year, AAA Mid- Atlantic is the representing sponsor for the “Camping World RV 400 presented by AAA” NASCAR  Sprint Cup Series Race at Dover International Speedway on Sunday, September 21, 2008 

Urban Youth Racing School

UYRS has been a vital source of support and strength for inner-city children between the ages of 8 - 18 for the past 10 years. With the help of supporters, UYRS will continue to build on its legacy by focusing on their commitment to exposing their youth to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) related career opportunities in motorsports and making diversity, education and youth issues a national priority. UYRS students make noticeable improvements in academic achievement. Programs include Build-A-Dream, Team Development and Engine Design. www.uyrs.com

                                                          Presents The City’s Biggest Motor Sports Event the

URBAN YOUTH RACING SCHOOL

GRAND PRIX of Philadelphia III

Saturday, September 6, 2008 - 11:00 am – 6:00 pm

 Time Trials & Races, Celebrity “The Race That Counts” Challenge, Performance Driving Simulators, Classic Cruisers & Antique Cars, Motor Sports Merchandise & Giveaways, Great Philly Food & Drinks!!!Special Guests!!!  PHILADELPHIA, PA September 29, 2008 — The internationally acclaimed Urban Youth Racing School (UYRS) will hold the Grand Prix of Philadelphia III at the 5.5 acre site at Broad Street & Washington Avenue in center city on Saturday, September 6, 11:00 am - 6:00 pm.  This is the only major nationally sanctioned and sponsored motor sports event in the city of Philadelphia.  The UYRS Grand Prix of Philadelphia III pits a team of 17 UYRS Driver Performance level students, ages 13-19, competing in racing karts capable of speeds of 90+ mph on a specially designed track created by Full-Tilt Racing.   This race is a SPRINT – MOTOROLA Community Racing Initiative sponsored event with the support of Joe Gibbs Racing, AAA, Lincoln Technical Institute, Tony Luke’s, Rastelli’s, Cintron Beverage, Rimas Properties, The Shipon Group and many others. In addition to the time trials and racing excitement starting at 11:00 am, the Grand Prix will feature a SPRINT Motor Sports Midway offering Performance Driving Simulators, Motor Sports merchandise and giveaways Classic Cruisers & Antique Cars, Great Philly Food & Drinks  Race That Count Celebrity Challenge Participants include Winky Wright Pro Boxer, Antron Brown NHRA driver, Jen Phedrick FOX Good Day, Jermaine Crawford actor, Mugsey Malone artist, Gary Cobb WIP, Kevin Walsh CN8, IBF Cruiser Weight Champion Steve Cunningham, Keith Russell ABC,  Reggie Showers  and many more. 

Admission to the event is Free

Schedule for the day 1 PM Qualifying – 2 PM Semifinals – 3: PM Finals -  4:PM Race That Counts Celebrity Relay Race

CLICK TO VIEW UYRS GRAND PRIX DRIVERS  

 URBAN YOUTH RACING SCHOOL founder Anthony Martin and UYRS Craftsman Career Development Interns will be featured live on “IT’S YOUR CALL with Lynn Doyle” on CN8 The Comcast Network.

“IT’S YOUR CALL with Lynn Doyle” will be broadcasting live from UYRS Headquarters in Philadelphia, PA. for the IYC Trackside 101 segment.  Tune in and to tell us what you think by calling 1-877-CN8-LIVE.

The show repeats @ midnight, and 9am and 9pm tomorrow night Friday August 22nd.  The show can also be downstreamed live on CN8.tv, and will be available ON DEMAND for Comcast digital cable subscribers through November.

To find CN8 on your local Comcast provider go www.cn8tv.com or click the following link and insert your zip code for your channel, if this link does not work please copy and paste onto your web browser  http://www.cn8.tv/channel/channelhome.asp?lChannelID=617

Craftsman  Career Development Week 2008 Interns for the URBAN YOUTH RACING SCHOOL will be featured on “NASCAR NOW” on ESPN 2 tonight beginning at 5:00pm EST  

To find ESPN 2 on your local cable provider go www.espn.com or click the following link and insert your zip code for your channel, if this link does not work please copy and paste onto your web browser  http://sports.espn.go.com/espntv/espnNetwork?networkID=2

By Pete Schnatz

For The Inquirer

Some 2,000 youths, ages 8 through 18, have passed through the doors of the Urban Youth Racing School since its inception in 1998. But the Philadelphia-based nonprofit organization, which helps inner-city youth learn to compete in the classroom and on the racetrack, may be locked in a competition that it can’t win.Although the program received encouraging news this week when General Motors said it would continue its support, including a $125,000 annual donation, UYRS leaders are at odds with NASCAR over philosophical differences and questions about funding.

The financial dispute apparently involves $32,000, and the two sides can’t agree on whether the payment applied to 2007 or 2008.

Marcus Jadotte, NASCAR’s managing director for public affairs, oversees the sanctioning body’s diversity initiatives. Jadotte resigned his position from the UYRS board of directors in February, and his relationship with the school’s staff has deteriorated.

Jadotte would not specify his concerns about UYRS.

“NASCAR’s had a long-standing relationship with the Urban Youth Racing School, and it’s a relationship that has been built around significant support from NASCAR and our many partners in the industry,” Jadotte said in a phone interview last week. “Teams, drivers, tracks, sponsors and manufacturers have all been supportive [of the UYRS] over the last 10 years, and that support continues today.

“There are certain parts of their program that we’ve had discussions about. . . . and we certainly believe the Urban Youth Racing School has the potential to do more in the communities where the program has been established. We look forward to working with them toward getting to this result.”

UYRS founder Anthony Martin and director of operations Michelle Kuilan said they have complied with every request for documentation on their students’ progress and contend that NASCAR is withholding financial support for 2008 - an assertion that Jadotte characterized as “factually incorrect.”

Yet Martin was adamant in wondering, “Why all of a sudden is NASCAR telling us that they’re not getting their money’s worth from our program? They’ve given us $250,000 since 1999, and they’ve received over $4 million in positive impressions in the media.”

Kuilan said that figure was derived from a LexisNexis search that turned up more than 700 articles associating NASCAR with the UYRS.

UYRS students usually gather on Saturdays. Sometimes they meet at the North Front Street office, where the school has seven cars and a race shop. Other times, they meet at go-kart tracks to race.

“There’s no one on the planet, when it comes to inner-city kids, who has diversified NASCAR more than I have,” Martin said. “Ninety percent of the kids coming into our program know nothing about NASCAR. But our curriculum teaches them about the sport, as well as the career opportunities in NASCAR, and they go back to their neighborhoods and share that experience with their friends and families. What more could [NASCAR] want from me? We are real when it comes to diversifying NASCAR.”

NASCAR wants UYRS to explain the program’s cost per student and how many students have gone into racing professions during the school’s first 10 years.

“We’re trying to create pathways that are realistic for these kids to get into the sport, and NASCAR asks how many of our kids are actually working in the industry,” Kuilan said.

“But in order for that to happen, there have to be opportunities. And once they’re there, are they going to be mistreated or deal with racism? You have to be open as an industry to really let people in.”

Kuilan’s reference was to the $225 million lawsuit brought against NASCAR in June by Mauricia Grant, a former Nationwide Series inspector who has alleged sexual, racial and gender discrimination on the job.

The UYRS grad who has gone the farthest in racing is Danny Colon, a 20-year-old from North Philadelphia. A communications major entering his sophomore year at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, Colon is working as an intern with Joe Gibbs Racing.

“I was 12 years old when I started [at the UYRS] and all I wanted to do was race, that was the magnet that drew me in,” Colon said during a recent visit to the school. “But then I actually did really well in the classroom and saw how many opportunities are out there. Working with Gibbs is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that you can’t put a price on.”

Still, NASCAR has concerns about the UYRS goal - is it intended to develop drivers or as a life-skills program?

Kuilan said she believes it can be both, pointing to an ongoing study by Jamie Bracey, a doctoral student in Temple University’s Psychological Studies in Education department and the assistant director of training for Temple’s Center for Intergenerational Learning.

Bracey, who recently served on Gov. Rendell’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) focus group, applauded the UYRS for being “on the cutting edge of education innovation.”

“The UYRS is doing its part through an evolving learning process, and emerging data suggests they’re having some success,” Bracey said in an e-mail. “Combine a chance for open dialogue with learning about math, engineering, science and technology while racing go-karts - the change in attitude toward education is magical.”

Data provided by Kuilan showed that of the students who have passed through the UYRS program, 95 percent have graduated from high school and 80 percent have gone on to a post-secondary school.

Jeff Chew, the marketing manager for Chevy Racing, doesn’t need statistics to convince him that the UYRS is worth supporting - even as GM looks to slash a reported $10 million from its motorsports budget. Cutting financial support “isn’t even on our radar right now,” Chew said.

“We’ve been associated with the Urban Youth Racing School for at least a decade, and that includes participating in their annual banquet,” Chew said. “It’s very rewarding to see the enthusiasm on the kids’ faces as we go through the awards ceremony, their genuine love of the program is very cool to experience.”

Martin wants to keep working with NASCAR.

“I think it will only be beneficial if we can work together to grow the sport,” Martin said, “and it’s unfair to put these kids in the middle of a money war.”

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/sports/26216024.html

You can know view the pictures of UYRS Interns Kyle Baker, Chris Lawrence, Bridgette Depalma, Jeremy Ortiz, Serfredrick Hill and Jarrell Harris.

Take a look into their week with their Craftsman Truck teams, as they worked in the race shops  in Charlotte NC and then traveled with their teams  to prepare their race trucks for the Power Stroke Diesel 200 at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indiana Friday July 25th.

They also had some fun at the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard!

Click here to view PHOTOS!