Originally published on 1/31/2020
Collision Repair and Shadow Creek Auto Basics students are building a special vehicle to spark an interest in the 8th-12th grade student population in an effort to lure more students into auto and collision courses.
The collision students drew up a blueprint and fabricated a “junior dragster” consisting of a rolling chassis and aluminum body panels that were all created from scratch. Local NHRA Super Competition Racer, John Warren, donated some parts from his race car and offered technical advice. One of the program advisory council members, Carl Gerges from Richmond Equipment, helped incorporate golf cart and ATV technologies within the build. His company is interested in employing some of the Auto Tech and Collision students in the future.
This dragster concept was created to fulfill three main tasks; to recruit new students, to incorporate new curriculum, and to provide a hands-on platform for the Auto Basics Courses. So far, the project has been a big hit and well received by all parties involved, especially the students.