Students in the Winter Term course sold pinewood derby racecar sponsorships to raise money for charity.
For the course’s final project, students worked in three-person teams to construct pinewood derby cars and create portfolios about their teams, shops and drivers. The teams then sold sponsorships for their cars to local businesses.
Coleman Rich, senior lecturer in operations and supply chain management and chair of the Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship, developed the idea for this project after visiting the South Boston Speedway in South Boston, Va., where his class met Gene Anderson, a driver in the Late Model division at the track. Anderson showed the class his team’s portfolio, which included information about his team, himself as a driver and photos of the car.
According to their website, Victory Junction “enriches the lives of children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses by providing life-changing camping experiences at no cost to children or their families.”
Rich chose Victory Junction as the course’s charity due to its close proximity to Elon, which gives students the opportunity to become involved further with the organization, and because he believes it is the most visible nonprofit with NASCAR roots.
The Business of NASCAR course focuses on the history, marketing, management and economical aspects of the sport and includes visits to racetracks in North Carolina and Florida. Students develop an understanding of NASCAR as a sport, sporting entertainment and a business.
Rich has facilitated the course for the past nine years. NASCAR is a personal favorite sport and pastime for him. He enjoys sharing his passion for the sport with students.
“There is nothing like watching the expression on a student’s face after riding in a racecar doing a minimum of 145 mph,” Rich said. “After that, they’re hooked.”