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Bridging the gap Rudd, Texaco announce partnership with N.C. A&T
Posted: Wednesday April 19, 2000 07:40 PM
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) -- Texaco and the NASCAR driver it sponsors, Ricky Rudd, announced a partnership Wednesday with historically black North Carolina A&T State University as part of an effort to attract more minority fans. NASCAR Winston Cup driver Ricky Rudd announced the agreement between the university and Robert Yates Racing and Texaco, his car's owner and primary sponsor. Rudd's team will donate a Legends car, a five-eighths-scale version of early NASCAR racers, and a stock car to the school's Intercollegiate Auto Racing program. Rudd's Charlotte-based team also will provide an internship to an A&T student. In addition, Doug Yates, the engine builder for Ricky Rudd and defending Winston Cup series champion Dale Jarrett, will be a guest lecturer at the school. Rudd said that as a driver and former Winston Cup car owner, he knew firsthand the need for engineers. There are few schools "where you can find an engineer that not only has a degree, but has hands-on race car experience," he said. "And that's what this program will do for us." Earlier this year, NASCAR announced a minority internship program at its offices in Daytona Beach, Fla., Charlotte and New York. NASCAR also is forming a diversity council to find ways to attract more minority fans. "For a long time, we've said we want everybody to be a NASCAR fan, and we still say that, so we didn't market to any particular group. We just marketed the sport," Kevin Triplett, NASCAR's director of operations, said last year. "In a way, as late as a couple of years ago, we realized it's more of an awareness issue." The Texaco representative attending Wednesday's event touched on that issue in his comments. "It's interesting now with Tiger Woods getting a lot of visibility on the PGA how many youth are getting interested in golf," said Ed Gadsen, Texaco's director of global human relations. "We think the same thing is going to happen in racing -- African-Americans have always been involved in racing, but never to a high level of visibility." A&T is one of six colleges with racing programs and that compete against each other a few times each semester. The others are Duke, North Carolina State, the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, South Carolina and Virginia. The donation of a Legends car gives A&T a second car. All the other schools already had two cars. "We've been struggling to support this program," said David Klett, professor of mechanical engineering and head of A&T's racing team. "This is the first really major corporate contribution to support our efforts." Rudd's stock car also will help A&T's program. "Exactly what we're going to do with the Winston Cup car, we're not exactly sure," Klett said. "We'll do something with it in terms of education." Maybe a little driver's ed? "Maybe some test rides around Ace Speedway," Klett said laughing. "We just can't let it sit in the shop."
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