Southern zoom
Hitting the books for descriptive history of NASCAR
Posted: Wednesday December 23, 1998 06:32 PM
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Write a 10-page essay on Jeff Gordon's winning edge: Gordon and NASCAR's history is being analyzed and studied by several colleges AP |
BOONE, North Carolina (AP) -- Students who want to learn the history of stock car racing, from its bootlegger roots to racing marvel Jeff Gordon, need only look in the Appalachian State University course catalog.
The explosive popularity of NASCAR in the 1990s has made it the fastest-growing professional sport in America, luring new fans among the college-educated crowd and the corporate honchos in luxury boxes.
Now it's revving its way into academia with history and business courses available in schools around the state.
This fall, Appalachian State offered "Southern Zoom: A History of Southern Stock Car Racing," to coincide with NASCAR's 50th anniversary this year.
"What? They're offering the history of NASCAR? I've GOT to take that," said student Chris Cogdill, when he saw it listed in the course catalog.
When he mentioned it to his friends this fall, the reaction was predictable: "Most people think it's a joke. They're like, 'You redneck.'"
The three-credit-hour elective taught by former racing writer Mike Epley drew 26 students, all male but one.
Epley lectured on the birth of the sport, from the tradition of mountain men hauling moonshine in fast cars to the early days of racing on the sands at Daytona Beach.
Epley comes by his knowledge of NASCAR honestly. He grew up in Asheville, where as a teenager he did odd jobs for Banjo Matthews, who built cars for racing legends such as Fireball Roberts and A.J. Foyt.
"My mother hated it. She called it rednecks, white socks, Blue Ribbon beer and fast women," he said. "But I got hooked on it. There's nothing like the smell and feel of being at a race."
Many of Epley's students have that same passion for the grease, grime and noise. Every Tuesday, before class, they critiqued the previous Sunday's race and argued about who's the best driver.
Cogdill, who grew up in Waynesville, said at first he thought the class would be easy. There was plenty of reading, a midterm exam, final exam and a research paper.
"It was a lot tougher than I expected," he said.
To Dave Piatt, a junior from Bahama, NASCAR is serious business. He practically grew up at the Orange County Speedway. Now, during summer and holiday breaks, he works at The Racing Edge, a NASCAR paraphernalia shop at Northgate Mall in Durham.
"This is a class they put here for me," he said. "It's my destiny to take this class."
Epley's class got the attention of sports marketers and some of the biggest NASCAR sponsors, including Lowe's Companies Inc. and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. The students toured Richard Childress Racing, where Dale Earnhardt's cars are built.
The classes can be more than an amusing elective. Two of Epley's students landed internships with racing businesses, and two students who took a NASCAR business class at Elon College now work in public relations following sports marketing internships.
North Carolina's community colleges have gotten into the act too. Rowan-Cabarrus Community College in Salisbury offers a degree in motorsports management. Forsyth Technical in Winston-Salem awards an automotive degree with a concentration in race cars. Students at Catawba Valley take classes in the fabrication of stock cars.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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