For a handful of students at Beloit Memorial High School (BMHS) in Beloit, WI, being on the “fast track” to a career in the automotive industry has a special meaning.
The school’s Urban Force Racing Team, a group of eight BMHS students in the automotive technical program, help professionally crew Dan “The Rocketman” Lensing’s #18 ABC Supply/Urban Force Racing/Lefthander Chassis Ford Fusion ASA Late-Model stock car.
According to Pete Raskovic, auto instructor at BMHS and team manager for the stock car crew, this is the first in the nation where high school automotive students crew and maintain a stock car at the ASA Late-Model Stock Car level.
“This program is designed to give at-risk students a unique educational experience that leads to high school graduation,” Raskovic said. “Students are setting up and maintaining an ASA late-model race car purchased by Ken Hendricks. This car raced for the first time at the Jefferson Speedway in May.”
Hendricks, Urban Force Racing Team founder and visionary, said hard work, dedication, integrity and teamwork are the basis for success in life, as well as his racing team.
“When I founded the concept of Urban Force Racing, it was to instill these qualities in today’s inner-city youth using a common sense approach to help them experience success in school, in their community and in their lives,” Hendricks said.
Hendricks, owner of ABC Supply Company, said the goal is to keep kids in school and give them an opportunity to experience a real-world situation that involves many different aspects of problem solving and life-skills to help them realize the power of technical education.
“Sure, we want to get kids involved in the trades, too,” he said. “After all, you can make a good living as a mechanic, plumber, electrician or even as a roofer; I’m living proof! By helping these kids get into technical college to learn a trade, we can even better serve our nation’s need to fill the shortage of highly qualified trades people.”
Raskovic, an ASE Certified Master Technician who grew up in the heart of Eastern Pennsylvania racing country and has more than two decades of racing experience, said the program allows students to really get a “hands-on” education in the racing field. “We are racing against some of the toughest ASA Racing drivers and crews in the Midwest, and we’re doing a great job being noticed as a tough competitor,” he said.
Manager/Crew Chief: Pete Raskovic; Driver: Dan Lensing; Chassisman: Steve Bruno; Crewmen: Gregg Bowles, Robert Lee and BMHS student team members: Raymond Fallin, Keenan Davidson, Cesar Roman, Tequad Tillman, Craig Burns, Angel Wicks, Jonathan Brown, Zack Hill, Giorgio Beard, Andrew Kolden and Kyle Hopper
To read more about the Urban Force racing Team program, visit www.sdb.k12.wi.us/memorial/urbanforceracing.
