B-CU business majors get hands-on experience marketing NASCAR to Black students

Like many fellow Bethune-Cookman University students, Shayla Lewis and Jeff Philippe-Auguste said motorsports was not part of their lives growing up.

Racing's history ― with ties to the Old South and fans flying confederate flags above their RVs ― hasn't traditionally been welcoming to many potential Black fans. NASCAR has been trying to change that and one of the most recent efforts has centered on turning to Black students such as Lewis and Philippe-Auguste for help.

This year NASCAR established a campus lab for B-CU students interested in marketing auto racing to not just a more diverse audience, but also potential employees.

Students worked closely with Caryn Grant, senior director of NASCAR diversity and inclusion, and John Ferguson, chief human resources officer of NASCAR.

The company gave the students a $65,000 budget, set up weekly 90-minute sessions to meet with NASCAR officials and strategize an on-campus event that would raise awareness of the Daytona International Speedway experience and leave a good impression.

“We were not only involved in that, we did all of that. That was up to us completely to throw this event," said Lewis, a senior business administration major from Tampa. "We did have some support from Caryn and John, of course, but most of the information came from us. It’s all our ideas."

Their tasks ranged from conceiving of ways to engage their fellow students, keeping meeting notes and assembling a budget ― covering all the costs including catering, a deejay and getting tents and chairs together, all while keeping in communication with NASCAR and school officials.

“Some of us had a lot bigger ideas than we were truthfully able to put into fruition at the time," Philippe-Auguste said, "so realizing what we’re actually doing was the most difficult thing for all of us in the cohort.”

The event happened Oct. 27. The team was able to get a race car wrapped in B-CU logos and colors. The number on the car, instead of the traditional two-digit format, was "1904," the year of the university's founding.

Set up in a tent, students were able to experience the driver's seat with a racing simulation that gave users a hint of the physical challenges of squeezing into a race car and making difficult turns.

NASCAR is also selling its College Corner, a spot at Turn 4 of the Speedway where college students can experience the race with tailgating games, a shaded lounge area and a misting station at discounted prices with a college ID. So the B-CU students were looking for ways to make that more enticing.

“The NASCAR Campus Lab Program provides exposure to the motorsports industry, career readiness guidance and valuable real-world experience for Bethune-Cookman students,” Grant said in a prepared statement.

“Through opportunities like last month's campus marketing activation, students are gaining hands-on budget management, project ideation and business execution experience that will carry them into their professional careers," Grant said. "Such projects, along with the mentorship, career exploration, and resume and interview tips will help develop the next generation of sports professionals.”

Lewis and Philippe-Auguste said NASCAR wasn't on the radar in their communities, although they had, of course, heard of the Daytona 500, "The Great American Race."

Philippe-Auguste, a Haines City native, was more into other sports, including football. That has led him to also gain experience in event management at last year's Vrbo Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix.

When he came to Daytona Beach for the first time, getting off interstates 4 and 95 at International Speedway Boulevard gave him an idea of NASCAR's enormity.

"Oh my goodness, the Speedway is right there,” he recalls saying.

"And it's massive," Lewis interjected.

Lewis, who has worked several Daytona races on the hospitality side prior to her involvment in the campus lab, has a strong impression of the sport.

“Watching it on TV does not do it justice. When you are there, it is a completely different experience," she said. "I always tell people it’s the atmosphere there. It’s just the camaraderie and all the people. It’s a social event and that's really what makes NASCAR NASCAR.”

And now both she and Philippe-Auguste have gotten to see the business side inside the headquarters across the street from the track, giving them important connections for their impending careers. And also memories.

As part of the program, the students were at the Coke Zero Sugar 400 in August. They made the rounds, meeting NASCAR people across all levels, and it also provided Philippe-Auguste with a memory.

“I got a picture with Bubba Wallace," he said, "and I’m going to hold that picture dear to my heart.”

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This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR engages Bethune-Cookman to boost students' interest in racing