In the Pits

NASCAR announces 2008 diversity internship class

Seventeen students from across the country were selected to participate in the 2008 NASCAR Diversity Internship Program. This year’s program, which began June 2, gives minority college students the opportunity to complete a 10-week paid summer internship within the NASCAR industry.
     “The Diversity Intern-ship Program has introduced dozens of students to the professional opportunities in NASCAR,” says Marcus Jadotte, NASCAR’s managing director of public affairs. Participation in the program has led to full-time positions in the industry for a number of past interns.
     The Diversity Internship Program features internships offered by NASCAR offices, sponsors, licensees, teams, tracks and broadcast partners. In addition to NASCAR corporate offices in Daytona Beach, FL, Charlotte, NC, New York and Los Angeles, the following companies are participating in 2008: Brand-sense Partners, Daytona International Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports, Images USA, International Speedway Corp. (ISC), JHE Production Group, Just Marketing International, Motor-sports Authentics, Octagon, Roush Fenway Racing, SPEED (FOX Entertainment Group) and The Specialized Marketing Group.
     The current intern class began their NASCAR experience with an orientation session during the Sprint All-Star Race weekend at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Con-cord, NC. The group visited the NASCAR Speedpark in Concord Mills, the NASCAR Research and Development Center in Concord, toured the Dale Earnhardt Inc. facilities, and attended the Sprint Pit Crew Challenge presented by Craftsman and the Craftsman Truck Series race.
     More than 150 students have participated in the NASCAR Diversity Internship Program since its inception in 2000. These interns have gained experience working in marketing, engineering, public relations, licensing and various other areas. Each year, the internships are available to college juniors, seniors and graduate students across the country. To be eligible, students must be in good standing with their school and community and must have a minimum 3.0 grade point average.
     The 2008 NASCAR Diversity Internship Class includes: Robert Braswell, North Carolina Agricultural State University; Tyler Cheatham, Florida A&M University; Zena Conway, Johnson C. Smith University; Brittney Eustache, North Carolina State University; Chris Garcy, Florida International University; Allison Gordon, Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University; Amanda Hauck, The College of New Jersey; and DeMarcus Miller, High Point University.
     Others: Mariel Moorer, University of Michigan; Merle Pearce, Oklahoma State University; Michael Press, Johnson C. Smith University; Kris Rincon, University of Arizona; Joshlyn Ross, Clark Atlanta University; Donald Rouse, Johnson & Wales University (Charlotte Campus); Derek Russell, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Mary Shen, University of Pennsylvania; and Gabriel Thomas, Virginia State University.