Living Life in the Fast Lane — New Internship Program with Lowes Motor Speedway Gives Belmont Abbey Students Edge

BELMONT, NC —- The deafening roar of engines. The smell of gasoline and hot rubber. The heat of the track. The enthusiasm rising from fans in the stands.

There’s nothing like it. The sights and sounds at one of the most legendary racetracks in the country – Lowes Motor Speedway – the home of NASCAR.

Now students at Belmont Abbey College will get an exclusive front row seat into the inner workings and behind-the-scenes drama from one of America’s fastest-growing sports.

Lowes Motor Speedway and Belmont Abbey College announced today the signing of an agreement to team up and assist students who excel in the classroom by giving them practical on-the-job experience. The agreement will give Abbey students exclusive rights to the first of six internships offered at Lowes Motor Speedway in the fall and spring semesters.

The internships will involve various areas of operations including sales, marketing and public relations, events, short track events, administration, 600 racing, general operations, and tickets.

Speedway President H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler, a member of the Abbey’s Board of Trustees, will personally review all resumes from the Abbey with deadlines for fall semester applications on July 1, 2005 and October 1, 2005 for the spring semester.

"Agreements like this are a win-win situation for everyone,” says Belmont Abbey College President, Dr. William K. Thierfelder. “We are extremely grateful to Mr. Wheeler and everyone at Lowes Motor Speedway for this opportunity and what it will mean for students at the Abbey. It is truly an exciting venture for our students, who excel in the classroom, to now also have the practical experience of applying what they learn into a business setting with one of the country’s leading sports companies.”

Although Lowes already has internship programs with UNC-Charlotte, UNC-Chapel Hill, East Carolina University, Elon, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, and Slippery Rock (Pennsylvania), students at Belmont Abbey College will have priority over students at other colleges.

“Lowe’s agreement with the Abbey supercedes these programs with other colleges and universities,” says Wheeler, whose father, Howard “Humpy” Wheeler, Sr., had served as athletic director, coach and faculty member at the Abbey. "The Abbey is a very special place, giving its students a true sense of purpose. We’re hoping to nurture that with this new internship program.”

The College is also looking forward to developing curriculum related to motorsports management in the near future.

The Abbey’s new chair of the business department, Dr. Philip Bayster will work with faculty members in further building Belmont Abbey College’s business program, which is designed to provide students with learning experiences in courses and internships by which they can increase their knowledge and skills in the fundamental business activities of effective communication, informed decision-making, and responsible action.

Bayster, who is currently the dean at the Sneden Graduate School of Davenport University in Michigan, will serve the Abbey utilizing his extensive background in industry and academe. He plans to lead the business department in seeking accreditation, increasing internship opportunities for the Abbey’s students and building relationships with the local business community.

Bayster, who was named a Sloan Fellow at MIT, holds a BBA in accounting from the University of Michigan, an MA in economics from Wayne State, an MS in management at MIT, and both an MBA and a Ph.D. from Rutgers University in management. Prior to working at Davenport University, Bayster had also served as a professor, chair, and eventually dean at Cleary University. He has taught as an adjunct at Eastern Michigan University, Xavier University, Rutgers University, and Wayne State University. For several decades, Bayster worked in telecommunications, as an executive for Michigan Bell, AT&T, and Telcordia Technologies (formerly Bellcore).

About Lowes Motor Speedway
With the majority of racing teams based within 30 miles of the track, Lowes Motor Speedway is the home track for NASCAR. In addition to the 1.5-mile quad oval, the Lowe’s Motor Speedway complex includes a 2.25-mile road course and a six-tenths-mile karting layout in the speedway’s infield; a quarter-mile asphalt oval utilizing part of the speedway’s front stretch and pit road; and a one-fifth-mile oval located outside turn three of the superspeedway.

Three NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series events, two NASCAR Busch Series races, an Automobile Racing Club of America event, an American Speed Association race and a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event are among the major events held on the super speedway. The Fast Track High Performance Driving School and the Richard Petty Driving Experience also use the track extensively throughout the year.

Other events on the various tracks include a weekly, nationally televised short-track series for Legends Cars, Bandoleros and Thunder Roadsters; Sports Car Club of America national and regional competitions; and World Karting Association regional, national and international races.

Ranked one of the best liberal arts colleges in the South by U.S. News and World Report, Belmont Abbey College celebrates excellence and virtue steeped in its 128 year Catholic Benedictine heritage. It is home to students from over 34 states and 17 countries and welcomes everyone from any background or tradition committed to this vision of excellence and virtue. The campus consists of the College, the Monastery and the Abbey Basilica, which can be found on its sprawling 650 acres of picturesque landscape.

Just minutes from Charlotte, NC, the nation’s second largest banking center, Belmont Abbey College offers students numerous internship opportunities and career placement.

The College believes in development of the whole person – mind, body and spirit. By offering a wide array of clubs and activities including Division II athletics, theatre, publications, and study abroad, Belmont Abbey College invests in the personal growth of its students.

Founded in 1876, the College celebrates its heritage and is inspired by the Benedictine monastic tradition. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the College and Abbey Basilica greet thousands of visitors each year.

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