Three NASCAR Tech Grads Join Kevin Harvick’s Pit Crew as the No. 4 Team Competes in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup
NASCAR Tech grads swapped from No. 14 team after demonstrating excellence in the pits this season
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – September 12, 2014 – Three NASCAR Technical Institute graduates from Tony Stewart’s 2011 Championship team join Kevin Harvick’s pit crew this week, after a swap by Stewart-Haas Racing to strengthen Harvick’s title chances in his first year with the team. The move – which swapped Tony Stewart’s No. 14 pit crew team with Kevin Harvick’s No. 4 pit crew team – comes ahead of this weekend’s NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup.
Harvick has been one of the strongest cars all season but has just two wins to show for his career-best 1,186 laps led. Harvick has been critical of the No. 4 team's pit stops this season and said after Saturday night's regular-season finale that it had to be addressed for him to have a shot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. An impressive milestone for the three standout graduates, the swap reinforces the caliber of a NASCAR Tech education.
“Stewart HAAS Racing is just one of many NASCAR teams that employ top graduates from NASCAR Technical Institute,” said John Dodson, vice president of NASCAR and community relations at NASCAR Technical Institute. “This was the same pit crew that guided Tony Stewart to his NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship in 2011, so it’s a smart and strategic move for the team. Having three NASCAR Tech graduates on this crew speaks volumes about our program and the strong relationships we have in the motorsports industries.”
The three NASCAR Tech grads on the five-person pit crew include:
• Jackman: Mike Casto | Hometown: Proctor, West Virginia
• Rear Tire Changer: Daniel Smith | Hometown: Concord, North Carolina
• Rear Tire Carrier: Mike Morneau | Hometown: Oxford, Maine
NASCAR Tech arms its students and graduates with the tools needed to find their niche in racing. Strong industry partnerships and a focus on helping students align passion with real-life skills help NASCAR Tech students graduate ready for real-world success and hard work. For these three graduates, dedication paid off.
“Having won a championship already, the knowledge and training these graduates possess will give Kevin Harvick an edge in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship,” said Dodson.
Harvick’s new pit crew members are not the first NASCAR Technical Institute graduates to have landed successful careers in NASCAR. Penske Racing currently employs 29 NASCAR Tech graduates on its NASCAR Sprint Cup and Indy Car Teams and Roush Yates Racing Engines has hired a number of the school’s graduates over the years to build the engines used in almost every NASCAR Series. Most recently, NASCAR Tech graduate Shannon Rursch was promoted to crew chief for Dylan Kwasniewski’s Nationwide Team – a milestone for the school.
About Universal Technical Institute, Inc.:
Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (NYSE: UTI) is the leading provider of post-secondary education for students seeking careers as professional automotive, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle and marine technicians. With more than 180,000 graduates in its 49-year history, UTI offers undergraduate degree, diploma and certificate programs at 11 campuses across the United States, as well as manufacturer-specific training programs at dedicated training centers. Through its campus-based school system, UTI provides specialized post-secondary education programs under the banner of several well-known brands, including Universal Technical Institute (UTI), Motorcycle Mechanics Institute and Marine Mechanics Institute (MMI) and NASCAR Technical Institute (NASCAR Tech). For more information, visit www.uti.edu. Like UTI on www.facebook.com/UTI or follow UTI on Twitter @UTITweet, @MMITweet, and @NASCARTechUTI.
About NASCAR Technical Institute:
“Having won a championship already, the knowledge and training these graduates possess will give Kevin Harvick an edge in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship,” said Dodson.
NASCAR Technical Institute is one of 11 campuses operating under parent company Universal Technical Institute (UTI), a nationwide provider of technical education training for students seeking careers as professional automotive, motorsports, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle and marine technicians. NASCAR Tech is the country's only technical training school to combine a complete automotive technology curriculum and a NASCAR-approved technologies curriculum into a single program, and NASCAR Tech is also the exclusive educational partner of NASCAR. Students learn the basics of engine construction, lubrication systems, chassis fabrication, dyno testing, racing theory principles, NASCAR rules and regulations, as well as the teamwork needed in today's automotive and motorsports industries. Follow NASCAR Tech on Twitter at @NASCARTechUTI.
For further information: Jenna Robinson, Brownstein Group, (267)238-4132, jrobinson@brownsteingroup.com
