NASCAR R&D/NDIP
As an intern at NASCAR R&D, I directly assisted their Aerodynamics Department while constantly learning more about the industry as a whole.
The NDIP Class of 2019 (myself pictured in the blue polo on the right side). Before our first week, all interns were brought to Charlotte, NC for orientation weekend, which included go-karting, various panel sessions with industry personnel, and up-close access to the garage and infield areas during the All-Star race weekend.
2019: Internship Program
Shortly after graduating from the University of Kentucky in May 2019, I began a 10 week internship with the NASCAR Research and Development (R&D) Center located in Concord, North Carolina. This internship was presented through the NASCAR Internship Diversity Prgoram (NDIP), an effort out of NASCAR’s Multicultural Development department to help bring students with diverse backgrounds and talents into NASCAR and help develop their career path. I am 1 out of 26 interns in the NDIP class of 2019; interns are spread across a variety of departments and programs within NASCAR and some of its partners.
At the R&D Center, I was directly working with the Aerodynamics Department. As a whole, NASCAR R&D works on a variety projects that include vehicle design and development, physical and at-track testing with teams and manufacturers, improvements in safety in the sport, and other projects that directly affect the cars competing in all of NASCAR’s touring series. The Aerodynamics Department is specifically responsible for determining the aerodynamic characteristics of vehicles competing in NASCAR, working with teams and manufacturers on the development of new vehicle bodywork, and, in a more general sense, keeping aerodynamic parity between the various teams through their rules and regulations.
During my internship, I worked on various projects, such as preparing for special race packages and assisting with full-scale wind tunnel testing. Overall, I also helped provide support to the department and NASCAR as needed. This internship allowed me to get a glimpse of how the industry works at a larger scale and how intricate any change in the sport can be. It was a great opportunity to learn from the best and brightest in NASCAR, and I cannot wait to see how I can apply what I learned during the internship to my future.
2020: Outstanding Intern Award
After transitioning from the internship to full-time at Rick Ware Racing, I was able to continue working as an engineer in NASCAR. With my continuation of work in the industry alongside being more outspoken on recent social issues (such as police brutality and racism towards minorities in 2020), NASCAR Diversity decided to provide me with the “Outstanding Intern” Award - an award given to someone from the preceding year’s NDIP class. It was a huge honor to be recognized by NASCAR and NASCAR Diversity, and it has been great to be able to have open conversations with them on what it means to me to be a part of the sport and the improvements that everyone is collectively trying to make.
For more information about the NASCAR Diversity Internship Program, please click here.