According to a news report posted on NASCAR's website, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte recently launched a new American Studies class that focuses primarily on the history and culture of NASCAR from its inception to its current state as the country's most popular form of motorsports; "Motorsports in the South: A Southern Tradition" The university also touts its Motorsports Engineering program. Other schools in the south and across the country are offering new courses in mechanical engineering, aerodynamics, tire technology and other areas of auto racing. Old Dominion University in Hampton, Va., recently began offering a motorsports technology degree as well as the Virginia Motorsports Technology Center in Henry County. Designed to boost the motorsports industry in Virginia, the commonwealth poured $1.2 million into the facility, which is located near Martinsville Speedway (photo). The center will house companies that build racecars and engines and will link with a new advanced motorsports curriculum at Patrick Henry Community College. If I were a recent high school graduate looking for an academic field to enter, this might be it.
