Virginia State University was singled out by NASCAR on Wednesday for its work in increasing diversity for the stock car racing league.
Ahead of Sunday's Daytona 500, the Ettrick university was awarded the Educational Institutional Award at the annual NASCAR Diversity luncheon in Florida. NASCAR recognized VSU for "for helping raise awareness about the motorsports industry on campus."
The university and NASCAR have a relationship that dates back to 2007, said Leon Bey, a sports management professor at the university.
"They've introduced some great programs that have given student hands-on opportunities," Bey said.
NASCAR has held several events on campus and in classrooms looking to not only bring new fans, but also to diversify the sport from the boardroom to the track. Through its partnership with the league, VSU has sent several students to work as interns with NASCAR race teams and tracks.
Last fall, the school was one of 10 universities to participate in NASCAR's "Kinetics: Marketing in Motion" program. Students spent the semester working on case studies designed around bringing new and diverse audiences to the sport.
"Diversity is critical to the future of our business and our sport," said Marcus Jadotte, NASCAR's managing director of public affairs. "We want to do what we can to appeal to sports fans country and North America."
NASCAR said VSU should serve as an example for other universities because of "the level of involvement and passion its students portray in regards to NASCAR and the entire motorsports industry."
LLLovio@timesdispatch.com
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