Racers circle in on South students
by Mary Barrera, south news editor

    NASCAR racers made a pit stop on South Campus while in town for the Silverado 350 at Texas Motor Speedway.

   Ted Musgrave and Jason Leffler, Craftsman Truck Racing Series drivers, visited with TCC students and prospective students from area high schools.

   “This is a recruitment outreach for the automotive department,” Steve Hull, automotive department coordinator, said.

   Musgrave, a veteran race driver, spoke on opportunities for service technicians.

   “There is a good learning opportunity here, and students should take advantage of it,” he said.

   “The days of the shade-tree mechanics are gone. Now people have to take their cars to technicians they can rely on to help them out,” he said.

   Matt Kluge from the National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), said, “The opportunities are never going to go away.”
   There will always be a need for good qualified ASE technicians, he said.

   Leffler has the only ASE-certified pit crew in all of NASCAR. ASE credentials make a person more valuable, and there are 40 different certificates, Kluge said.

   “I’ve crashed three trucks in the last two races, so I have to use a backup truck. But I know it is prepared just as well and will run just as well as the other trucks,” he said.

   Musgrave and Leffler will start their race in seventh and eighth positions on the fourth row.

   “With the exception of Daytona and Michigan, Texas is the fastest place we go,” Kluge said.

   “This is a racetrack where we can open right up and race flat out,” Musgrave said.

   The engines are about 355 cubic inches; the horsepower at the rear wheels is 640 hp to the ground, which translates to about 735 hp at the fly wheel, Musgrave said.

   Musgrave and Leffler have made two other school visits before races this year: one at Darlington and one at Dover. Musgrave won both races.

   “If we win again tonight, we’re going to book school visits for the rest of the year,” Musgrave said.

   Both racers are vying for a chance at the championship with five more races to go.

   All the Dodge-sponsored racers and owners have an incentive to win the championship this year. The driver and owner who win each get a Dodge Viper, Musgrave said.

   “If I win, I’ll bring it back. Everyone can get a ride; just bring it back okay,” he said.

   Bruce Gerhardt, vice chairman of the board of trustees for the National Automotive Technician Foundation, encouraged students to take classes in automotives.

   “Our certification programs are first-class. They set the standard in training for the country,” he said.

   “There is an extreme shortage in the industry, and cars are not what they used to be,” Gerhardt told students, “We need you out there.”

   “I know I can’t be successful in my position alone,” Leffler told students.

   “Keep working hard. The automotive industry is a great career,” he said.