ATLANTA, May 21, 2002 – With the grand opening of the NASCAR Technical Institute this summer in Mooresville, N.C., UPS extends its NASCAR partnership with UPS Racing Technical Edge Scholarships offered for financial assistance to minority students seeking careers in racing and automotive technology.
The scholarship program unites two important UPS goals: to encourage diversity and advance educational opportunity. UPS supports the sport's growing and diverse fan base with active participation on the NASCAR Diversity Council and a paid 10-week summer assignment for a student from one of the nation's historically black colleges as part of NASCAR's Minority Internship Program.
Since 2000, UPS has leveraged its NASCAR partnership to create an array of marketing, business development, employee and community programs. The company plans to approach this diversity initiative with the same momentum. Already, UPS has sought new participants in its Supplier Diversity Program to procure NASCAR and UPS-branded merchandise for its UPS Racing employee catalog. The company is introducing these resources to NASCAR and other sponsors to open doors for licensed product sales by new and emerging businesses.
"The UPS Racing Technical Edge Scholarships reward minority students who have the motivation and commitment to pursue a career in automotive racing technology." said Dana Holliday, manager of UPS Motorsports Employee & Community Programs. "We see the technology and diagnostics used by our own UPS service technicians to keep our brown trucks at peak performance, so programs offered by the NASCAR Technical Institute will bring the same sophisticated tools to these students."
UPS will provide scholarships to students based on financial need with attention to automotive work experience and automotive-related career goals. Applicants must be high school graduates or be completing their senior year and be registered or planning to enroll in the 57-week North Carolina-based program by November 1, 2002. Scholarship Management Services of St. Peter, Minn., will administer the program with applications posted on the UPS Racing web site in June.
UPS has been the official express delivery company of NASCAR since 2000 and is in its second year as primary sponsor of the #88 UPS Ford Taurus driven by Dale Jarrett for Robert Yates Racing. Building on the sport's growing popularity and fan loyalty, UPS has been recognized for a strong marketing platform that links its services to the speed, precision and reliability of NASCAR racing. UPS continues to build new business opportunity directly within the racing community, related automotive and supplier industries and with new revenues through licensed product merchandising. Visit http://www.racing.ups.com/ for more information about UPS Racing and #88 team performance and features.
