Craftsman Kicks Off 6th Annual Career Development Week  2008 for the Urban Youth Racing School

  2008 Interns left to right – Kyle Baker/Philadelphia; Serfredrick Hill/ Washington DC; Jarel Harris/Washington DC; Bridgette Depalma /Philadelphia; Jeremy Ortiz/ Philadelphia; Chris Lawrence /Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA, PA (July 21, 2008) – NASCAR Series sponsor, Craftsman, kicks off their fifth annual Craftsman Career Development Apprenticeship Week in Mooresville, NC today, bringing six students from the Urban Youth Racing Schools (UYRS) in Philadelphia, PA and Washington, DC to the Mooresville area to work with four different teams in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. 

The students, who range in age from 16-18, report for duty at their respective race shops  today and will work side-by-side with the teams through Wednesday as they prepare their race trucks for the Power Stroke Diesel 200 at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indiana. On Thursday, the students will fly to Indianapolis, IN where they will continue their learning experience as they work in the pits with their teams racing toward victory on Friday night.  All students will round out the evening joining the race winner in the Craftsman Victory Lane celebration.  

“Since implementing this apprenticeship program with the Urban Youth Racing School in 2002, we’ve seen past inters go on to work with teams and complete internships within various motorsports entities,” said Scott Howard, manager of Strategic Partnerships for Sears.  “Through our relationships within the NASCAR garage, the Craftsman brand has been able to put tools in these kids hands and give them the opportunity to learn the trade first-hand and build relationships of their own, giving them a jumpstart on pursuing careers in the industry whether it be on or off the track.”

Philadelphia students include Kyle Baker who will intern with Red Horse Racing and driver David Starr; Brigette Depalma and Chris Lawrence who will be teamed up with TRG Motorsports and drivers T.J. Bell and Donny Lia, respectively; and Jeremy Ortiz who will work with Circle Bar Motorsports and driver Brendan Gaughan.  Washington, DC-based students include Jarel Harris who will team up with Xpress Motorsports and driver Bryan Scott and Serfrederick Hill, II who will work with Circle Bar Racing and driver Rick Crawford. In addition to their race shop duties, the students will also attend a pit crew demonstration at the P.I.T. Instruction and Training facility in Mooresville.  Students will learn the intricate details of each position on the pit crew and will try their hand at tire changing, tire carrying and jacking the car. “For the past six years Sears Craftsman has been a great partner, giving UYRS students life opportunities and exposure that the students in Philadelphia and Washington DC have truly benefited from,” stated UYRS Founder, Anthony Martin. ”With the Craftsman / UYRS Career Development Apprenticeship Program, Craftsman has helped us step our efforts in introducing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) career opportunities within the motorsports industry. I am confident that this life changing apprenticeship program will once again have a life changing experience for this years interns as it has impacted all the UYRS interns since the program was developed in 2004. We are truly grateful to Craftsman for sharing our vision.” To round out their 2008 internship week experience, the students will also take in the 15^th running of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard taking place at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 27.  In addition to race festivities, the students will take in a tour of the historic IMS garage facility, hosted by General Motors Racing Engineers, as well as a tour of the Craftsman Mobile Marketing Experience – giving the students a well-rounded look at both competition and marketing aspects of the motorsports industry.    The Power Stroke Diesel 200 will air live on SPEED on Friday, July 25 beginning at 8:00pm ET from O’Reilly Raceway Park.  The Allstate 400 at the Brickyard will air live on ABC on Sunday, July 27 at 1:00pm ET from Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

About Urban Youth Racing School
UYRS is committed to the education, training and preparation of today’s urban youth through exposure to the automotive and motorsports industry. Since it’s inception in 1998, UYRS has had over 1100 children go through its 10 week “Build A Dream” and “Team Development” Programs involving over 60 mentors who have been a part of the school for over seven years. Additionally, the school has given away over $60,000 in educational scholarships, taken 50 UYRS students to Charlotte, North Carolina to visit and intern with NASCAR race teams, and participates in the annual Sears Craftsman/UYRS weeklong internship program. UYRS is committed to making diversity and youth issues a national priority.  For more information on UYRS, visit www.uyrs.com.

Testimonials from Former Attendees of the Craftsman/UYRS Career Development Apprenticeship Program:

Danny Colon

Age: 20

Student: University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Employed: Joe Gibbs Racing

“This whole UYRS experience has prepared me for my future in many ways. It has been my support system since I was 13 years old. Because of UYRS I have had internships with Craftsman Truck teams, NASCAR, and Joe Gibbs Racing where I am currently employed. UYRS has pushed me to continue my education and has made me a well rounded person because of my many opportunities that I have been presented with. even though I would like to be a driver, I see myself with endless career options if driving doesn’t work out.”

Shawna Jenkins

Age: 19

Full-Time Student: Temple University

“I love the UYRS, I have been involved for five years and I have been focused on my future because of it. After a trip to Charlotte to visit SPEED Channel with UYRS I knew that I had to major in communications when I went to college. Now am I not only majoring in Communications but I am also minoring in Public relations and Marketing. I think with my education in these areas and my involvement in UYRS I will be able to land my dream job in the NASCAR Industry.”

ATTENTION EVERYONE IN THE PHILADELPHIA AREA

SPEED ON DOWN TO HEAD HOUSE SQUARE THIS

SATURDAY MAY 3^rd

                   Come and Join Urban Youth Racing School and Warner Bros. Studios on Saturday May 3^rd  from 4 PM – 6 PM at 2^nd & Lombard Street (right off of South Street)  PICK UP MOVIECOLLECTIBLES• LEARN HOW TODOWNLOAD PASSES TOAN ADVANCE SCREENING • SEE UYRS RACE CARS &MEET UYRS RACE CAR DRIVERS 

SPEED RACER:

THE VIDEO GAME RACING INTO STORES MAY 6!    FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A SPEED RACER MACH 5 PRIZE PACK AND VIP SEATING AT AN ADVANCE SCREENING, LOG ON TO:

IN THEATERS AND IMAX MAY 9, 2008

                                                          www.speedracerthemovie.com

  Voice of America Online Reporter - Stacia Demarco

Philadelphia, Pennsylavania

June 20, 2007

Listen to Demarco narrate UYRS Story

The most popular spectator sport in the U.S. is American football. Close behind is . . . stock car racing. NASCAR races air on TV in 150 countries and millions of fans fill raceways each weekend looking to party and catch an adrenaline rush. But with only a handful of African-American drivers and even fewer women, NASCAR knows it has a reputation as a rich, white man’s sport.

It’s working hard to change that, through co-sponsoring schools dedicated to diversity in motor sports. One of them is the Urban Youth Racing School in the northeastern U.S. city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It’s located on a cobblestone street under a highway overpass surrounded by abandoned lots, graffiti and trash. There’s no sign above the locked door, only a security camera, a stark reminder of the dangers of life in the inner city.

But behind the door is a vibrant world. Teens sprawl on a sofa watching an auto race on a big flat screen monitor. Multiple computers line the tables for the kids who do data entry and for the mechanics to download information from each car’s computer. And in the back room, student mechanics work on miniature racecars in preparation for the team’s next big race.

It’s fun with a purpose, says Anthony Martin, the man behind it. “Did you know you can change tires and make a $100,000 a year changing tires in the racing business?” he asks rhetorically. “The goal was to introduce them to the different jobs and to let them know these jobs exist. If you don’t know, how can you be a part of it?”

In 1998, the NASCAR fan and a few of his friends wanted to show the kids from their inner city neighborhoods what NASCAR was all about, and its potential to change their lives. The only problem was that the inner city kids were never exposed to the sport. So Martin and his friends brought NASCAR to them, in the form of evening and weekend workshops that actually got kids behind the wheel.

Martin stresses the school offers more than a chance to drive around a track. “We say to them, ‘Listen. You know what? (If you) go through our Build A Dream Program and you feel like this is what you want to do with your life, you can become part of our Driver Teen Development Program.’ And they either become drivers in that program or they become mechanics in that program. They are with us for a few years. Once they go through that program they are then on their way to college.”

With the help of corporate sponsors, more than 2000 students have gone through the program. A second program was started in Washington D.C. last year.

The Urban Youth Racing Schools use a mix of track work and traditional textbooks to teach kids not just about NASCAR, but about the importance of education. Martin says it also gives them exposure to the myriad jobs in the world of professional motor sports. “They are doing internships, working for NASCAR, watching races, whatever. They are really a part of it.” He says when they get to college, many of them already know what they want to do. “Oh, you know, ‘I want to major in Marketing because I want to be a marketer for one of the teams,’ or ‘I want to major in mechanical engineering because I want to be one of the people who build engines for the teams.’

15-year-old Jade Gillis knows she wants to be involved in the motor sports industry. She heard about Martin’s program when she was 10, begged her mom to let her join and has been a racing school addict ever since. “It’s something different than like basketball or football, track and all those after-school, different things,” she explains. “Racing is a real adrenaline rush. You are trying to win. Everything. You are trying to race. It’s a lot of fun.” She currently is the only girl racing at the advanced level.

She knows the program has made her a better student. And while Jade imagines herself out on the raceway breaking all kinds of records, she also recognizes the importance of college and realistic dreams. “I mean if I can’t get to the racing part that good, then the business part is just as great as racing,” she admits. “There’s a lot of money and I like money so that would be great.”

19-year-old Lamott Ebron has been in the program for 5 years and shares the same desires as Jade, when it comes to having a good job and being part of life on the track. But his introduction to the school was different than Jade’s. “I had no direction,” he recalls. “My dad didn’t live with us or anything and, [I was] just watching my mom go to work and all that. You know I just had no direction. I had no clue who I wanted to be. Nothing really to look forward to or up to.”

Lamott says the Urban Youth Racing School changed his life and gave him the direction and motivation he was craving. He has taken full advantage of the program’s networking opportunities, like internships and meeting sponsors at the track. His goal is to work for Hendrick Motor Sports, one of the top NASCAR teams. “Initially I wanted to be a mechanic. Now I am leaning more towards some of the upstairs work, the PR (public relations) department or the Communications/Marketing Department.” This fall, Lamott will begin college at a small university in Charlotte, North Carolina, a NASCAR hub and home to Hendrick Motor Sports headquarters. He’ll work there part-time while in school.

The Urban Youth Racing School could produce its first professional NASCAR driver next year. One of its students who will be graduating from college has already been offered a racing position with NASCAR.

As the school enters its 10th year, founder Anthony Martin says there are big plans for it and the changing face of NASCAR. He hopes to open programs in 5 more major cities, predicting, “You are going to see the flood gates start opening in the next two years!”