The next generation of mechanics in motor sport are coming from STEM-oriented schools that teams science, technology, engineering and math. In NHRA, one of the leading Top Fuel and Funny Car teams is working to bring more new talent into the sport by enacting an internship program.
In Kalitta Motorsports’ ongoing effort to expose STEM students to the art of building 11,000-plus horsepower engines for its two Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series Top Fuel cars piloted by reigning champion Doug Kalitta and 2013 champ Shawn Langdon, together with the Toyota GR Supra Funny Car campaigned by 2018 champ J.R. Todd, the team is bringing three interns to this year’s Big Go, the 70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals.
The team is partnering with Casey Putsch and his Genius Garage as three Genius Garage interns have already joined engine builder Brock Owens at the squad’s Ypsilanti, MI headquarters to build an engine for Kalitta’s dragster. They got together August 6 and this engine will be used during qualifying for the Big Go Labor Day weekend.
Genius Garage has posted a story about the interns’ experience at the Kalitta Motorsports shop on You Tube via Casey the Car Guy. This site’s 216,000 followers have the ability to see how the threesome did with their first experience tuning a dragster’s 500 cubic-inch, supercharged engine. The story is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?y=A2V2BiZEqL4.
Kalitta Motorsports’ team manager Chad Head remarked that the relationship developed just a month ago. “Casey visited the race in Norwalk (Ohio) when he joined our team as a social media influencer. Bringing Genius Garage STEM interns into our race team and possibly bringing some new talent into NHRA drag racing is a big deal for our sport. We can’t have enough talented people entering NHRA, and if just one of these kids turns into a mechanic or an engineer, that’s big for the future of our sport.”
The mission for Genius Garage is to bridge the gap between schooling and industry, thereby kickstarting bright young minds’ careers into the sport. Genius Garage creates hands-on experiences for their students and interns. They are a 501(c)(3) public educational charity that relies on sponsorships and donations to fund the work.
“I am deeply honored to be working with Kalitta Motorsports and in being able to provide this opportunity to my Genius Garage students,” Putsch admitted. “This is an excellent opportunity to connect young talent with possible careers in motorsports and in the All-American world of NHRA.” Putsch is a craftsman, artist, engineer and racing driver. As the founder and president of Genius Garage Racing, Aerospace and Design programs, he devotes his time to the education and professional growth of creative young minds.
During these 70th annual Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, the students will be on-site Saturday August 31. One intern will shadow a member of each of the three Kalitta Motorsports entries. The interns relished their hands-on NHRA engine-building experience at the shop, but this opportunity will let them see what happens at the race track and then during actual competition at the U.S. Nationals.
The threesome who will get this experience are Ishan Allen, of Arlington, Texas, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. While Allen initially planned to get more involved in film and sound design, he’s shifting his career towards motorsports. Allen is joined by Orangeburg, NY-based Richard Wang, who graduated Magna Cum Laude from Manhattan College in Riverdale, NY. Wang has a Masters of Science in Mechanical Engineering. The third intern is Shannon Yankowski, of Tampa, FL. With artificial intelligence (AI) taking over information studies, her major at University of South Florida, Yankowski has changed her career path to follow her passion for motorsports technology.
Leave a Reply