NASCAR driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. stepped onto the campus of Kennesaw State University this week, swapping his racing suit for a tour of the university’s cutting‑edge Motorsports complex.
The 2023 Daytona 500 champion, who is also set to compete in the upcoming Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway in Hampton, Georgia, met with students from the Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology to discuss the inner workings of professional racing.
Inside the workshop, he watched a group of students assemble a race car from the ground up, a hands‑on project that forms the core of one of the university’s eleven engineering competition teams.
A Bridge Between Classroom and Track
Varun Devidas, president of KSU Motorsports, explained how the team’s projects translate directly into real‑world engineering skills, noting that the experience bridges the gap between theory and the high‑stakes world of motorsports.
Dean Lawrence Whitman of the Southern Polytechnic College of Engineering and Engineering Technology highlighted the university’s commitment to giving students opportunities that extend beyond the classroom, preparing them for careers in industries where engineering expertise is in high demand.
Stenhouse praised the students’ dedication, emphasizing the pivotal role engineers play in fine‑tuning race cars and the broader impact of their work on the sport’s future.