Cypress College Auto Tech students win trip to NASCAR Acceleration Weekend

This article by Cypress College Public Information Officer Marc S. Posner was originally published in @Cypress online (PDF), the college’s online newspaper.

The 2012 NASCAR Hall of Fame included an invitation to Cypress College Auto Tech students Isaak Sawyer and Chris Juarez when they participated in the inaugural NASCAR Acceleration Weekend in Charlotte, N.C., on January 19 – 22. It was a chance for them to meet and greet 2012 inductee Junior Johnson.

The NASCAR Acceleration Weekend was part of a prize Sawyer and Juarez won with their “Team Moroso.”

They helped capture the 2011 Hot Rodders of Tomorrow Engine Challenge of Champions, when they tore down and rebuilt a Chevy 350 high performance engine in the record-breaking time of 20:54.

They also won between $10,000-$20,000 in scholarship money.

This is the second time in a row that Cypress College has won competitions. In 2010 Cypress College students were winners of the Hot Rodder and Automotive Technical Competition. Juarez said that his experience at Cypress College has been pretty good, and he likes the hands-on experience because it’s like working for an actual dealership.

“Team Moroso” is the Hot Rodder of Tomorrow’s five-member team of students representing Cypress College and Loara High School. Sawyer and Juarez also toured NASCAR Technical Institute, the NASCAR R&D Center and Stewart-Hass Racing to gain valuable insight into what is takes to become a NASCAR team member.

Russ Bacarella, who is the Auto Tech instructor for Cypress College and a walk-on coach with Loara High School, coordinated all the students’ participation and is also responsible for training the schools’ Hot Rodder of Tomorrow’s team and other events. He said that Cypress College’s President, Dr. Mike Kasler, and Dr. Steve Donley, Dean of Career Technical Education & Economic Development, are huge supporters of the Auto Tech Department. Bacarella said, “Their outreach programs for high school students looking to transfer to Cypress College have been very important.”

Hot Rodders of Tomorrow is a nationwide high school auto engine building contest that fosters the future development of today’s youth for the race and performance industry. It consists of a total of 1,064 students and has raised $3.5 million in scholarship money. The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) and twenty-three manufacturing sponsors are part of this program.

Congratulations to Chris Juarez and Isaak Sawyer with “Team Moroso” and Russ Bacarella!