Endless Experiences for Motorsports Marketing Students at UNOH
Posted on Friday, June 02, 2023
UNOH students (left to right) Kaleb Haden, Joshua Beckman, Fletcher Havens, Jacob Halpain, and Shelby Rushin at Indianapolis Motor Speedway College Work Experience
Indianapolis, Charlotte, and Flat Rock, Michigan provide a backdrop for work experience and classroom projects for MSP students.
Written by Contributing Columnist, Instructor Tom Legeman
Motorsports Marketing students Joshua Beckman, Kaleb Haden, Jacob Halpain, Shelby Rushin, R.J. Wright, online student Rochelle Woodward (who is from Utah), and Business Administration student Fletcher Havens all participated in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway College Work Experience Program in conjunction with the Indianapolis 500 this year.
“Before working the Indy 500, I’d never worked a major sporting event,” said Motorsports Marketing student Joshua Beckman. “Race day for us began at 4 a.m. and when the gates opened it was a madhouse rush. Everyone worked in sync to keep the flow moving and everyone happy. All in all, it was a great weekend learning how to properly help the process go off as smoothly as possible.”
“The first day at the speedway was a little scary,” added student Kaleb Haden. “The kindness that the IMS supervisors showed all of the college students really allowed us to be comfortable. It was an experience like to other.”
On Saturday, May 21st students participated in the ARCA Menards East Series Dutch Boy 150 at Flat Rock Speedway as a part of their final participation project for the MSP 250 class. Students Teegan Clarkson, Kevin Thiele, and Chloe Holman interacted with ARCA Menards Series East driver Zachary Tinkle providing social media and public relations updates for the driver during the event. The MSP 250 online class participated with driver and UNOH graduate Tim Monroe.
“Working with Zachary Tinkle was an amazing experience,” said Teegan Clarkson, a sophomore in the Motorsports Marketing program. “The race team and Flat Rock employees all made us feel so welcome. It felt like they really wanted to help us.”
Student Dixon Smith was able to participate with NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Bayley Currey during the Carolina Education Lottery 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday, May 26th. Smith provided social media support for Currey during the event.
“This opportunity provided me with invaluable hands-on experience,” said Smith, a native of Austin, Texas. “This tested my skills in creating engaging online content, responding swiftly to unpredictable events, and managing an enthusiastic racing online community that supports Bayley Currey.”
“These at track opportunities, combined with the classroom curriculum, provide our MSP students the experiences and education they will use in their motorsports careers,” said Dean Tim Fitzpatrick. “These are the experiences that make our Motorsports Marketing program so unique from other motorsports programs.”
Category: Business, Health, and Occupational Professions, Applied Technologies
Keywords: Motorsports Marketing
