TALLMADGE, OH — A team of high school automotive technology students enters a national competition to see who is the Nation’s Best Automotive Technician — and win.
And where do they go to celebrate? The drag races, of course.
Team Lexus — the team of high school automotive technology students who recently won the National Automotive Technology Competition held at the New York Auto Show this past April – were rewarded with a trip to the NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown, NJ, courtesy of Summit Racing Equipment and Delmar Cengage Learning.
Members of the team include Alex Gross and Daniel White, along with instructor Tony Gualtieri from Orange-Ulster BOCES in Gibson, N.Y.
“Being able to attend the Supernationals was a phenomenal prize and a great way for the three of us to celebrate our win,” said Gualtieri. “It’s also very fitting since so much of what ends up in a passenger car has its start in the racing world.”
"I had always wanted to experience NHRA drag races, and I love going to the races and seeing the technology in the cars,” Gross said.
Fellow team member White concurred: “Being able to go to the races is the perfect way to finish off an epic year. I’ve always wanted to see the NHRA drag races, and winning the trip feels awesome.”
VIP Treatment
Alex, Daniel and Tony got an all-expenses-paid trip to the SuperNationals and treated like the winners they are receiving:
• Autographs, pictures, and Q&A time with Team Summit Pro Stock racers Greg
Anderson and Jason Line
• Autographs, pictures and Q&A time with Pro Stock Motorcycle riders Steve
Johnson and Jay Blake
• Unlimited access to Steve Johnson Racing’s hospitality area
• Tour of Steve Johnson’s race trailer
• Honorary Pit Crew member status
• Starting line access to watch the racing
In addition to the SuperNationals experience, Team Lexus earned other prizes, including:
• Gift Certificate for $10,000 of Snap-on Tools compliments of General Motors
• Automotive Training Center Full Tuition Scholarship
• Lincoln Technical Institute Full Tuition Scholarship
• Universal Technical Institute Full Core Program Tuition Scholarship
• University of Northwestern Ohio Full Tuition Scholarship
• Ohio Technical College $20,000 Scholarship
• New England Institute of Technology $2,000 Scholarship
About the National Automotive Technology Competition
The National Automotive Technology Competition was created in 1990 by the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association to help curb the shortage of qualified automotive technicians and raise the level of vocational education standards in the public school system.
To prepare for the competition, students train with their high school instructors as well as with certified technicians at local franchised automobile dealerships. Regional and state contests are held across the country to determine the nation’s best automotive students.
Winning student teams represent their state at the national finals at the New York Auto Show in New York City. Each two-person student team must diagnose and repair a number of pre-assigned problems under a car’s hood within an allotted amount of time. Each "bug" correctly repaired is worth a number of points, depending on the level of difficulty. In addition, the student’s overall knowledge is tested through a series of written tests prepared by the ASE.
More than $3 million in prizes and scholarships were awarded to participating students and schools in 2011 thanks to the generous support of almost every major automaker, industry suppliers, local dealerships, and dealers associations.
To learn more about the National Automotive Technology Competition, visit: http://www.nationalautotech.com/competition/about.shtml