Charlotte High School Student Earns Extra Credit with BACE Motorsports in Darlington

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (August 28, 2002) - Sorry kids, summer is over and it is time to head back to school.  No more lazy days of summer, start filling up those book bags with pencils, calculators and rulers.  That is unless you are Phillip Morris, a high school senior from Concord, N.C., then you would be better suited to carry a toolbox with wrenches, a stopwatch and a tire gauge. It is safe to say that most of Morris' classmates would usually not be envious that he is giving up his weekend to work on a school project.  But then again they probably have not heard this Saturday School task means being a member of a NASCAR Busch Series Team.

Morris will accompany the No. 33 Busch Series Team fielded by BACE Motorsports and piloted by Tony Raines to Darlington Raceway (S.C.) this weekend for the South Carolina 200.  Morris, a 17 year-old student from Jay M. Robinson High School in Concord N.C., was selected to serve as a crew member through a contest held by BACE Motorsports in alignment with the program "Keeping Kids in School Through Motorsports".  The program, founded by Joe Carbon owner of WFO Motorsports, allowed 18 high schools in the Charlotte area to send one student each to the BACE Motorsports shop to work for a day receiving an insider's view on what it is like to turn a wrench for a race team.  Out of the students that visited the shop, Morris was chosen to attend a Busch Series race as a BACE team member by shop foreman Jay Fabian.

"It's really cool to be chosen to attend the race in Darlington," Morris said.  "I've known for a while that this is what I wanted to do when I get out of school but to go into the BACE shop and see everything that they have to do to get ready to race every week was amazing.  I was excited to help out in whatever way I could and that is what I plan to do this weekend as well."

It was his willingness to dive into the work headfirst that eventually got him the nod to take the trip to the "Track Too Tough To Tame" according to Fabian.  When Morris rolls out of the BACE Motorsports shop this week sitting shotgun in the team transporter, his classroom becomes that of the NASCAR garage.

"He showed a lot of raw talent while he worked with us in the shop," said Fabian.  "But the most important factor was his attitude.  All of the students that came to the shop showed a great amount of potential and talent but Phillip was absolutely willing to do anything that we asked him to and when you are at the track it takes that type of team effort to get the job done."

To have the opportunity to visit the BACE Motorsports shop, Morris had to be selected from the many students that participate in the Automobile Technology class taught by Tommy Russell at Jay M. Robinson High School.  Russell is no stranger to motorsports himself as he previously worked with Seven Time Winston Cup Champion Dale Earnhardt before Earnhardt's ascent into NASCAR when he ran the local tracks in the Charlotte area.  Russell has only had Morris as a student for one year but he had no question that he was the one to send to the shop.

"Phillip is an outstanding student," stated Russell.  "He is very intelligent and really gets along well with all of the students.  He was chosen because of not only his work in the shop but the work ethic that he demonstrates in my classroom as well as his other courses.  He really works well with other students and most important is his drive to learn.  He's excited about this opportunity because he sees a future for himself in this sport."

Morris has put a plan into motion to legitimize his future in NASCAR by arranging to graduate in December, a semester earlier than his fellow classmates.  He will not waste his extra time because starting in January Morris is scheduled to attend the Universal Technical Institute, Inc. (UTI) in Mooresville, NC. UTI is the exclusive educational partner of NASCAR and a training facility for professional auto service technicians.  Morris' future plans and current opportunity this weekend at Darlington surprisingly cause a bit of envy from the members of the BACE Motorsports Team.

"This program is amazing," comments Britt Caulder, mechanic and rear tire carrier for BACE.  "I wish that I could have had the opportunity that Phillip has before I got my first job.  By seeing firsthand what really goes on in a race shop and at the track, you have a much better idea of the hard work that it takes to be successful in this sport.  I got lucky and ended up with a great team and organization but I think that it have been beneficial to "shadow" a team.  Phillip has what it takes to be successful.  When he was in the shop, he did everything from fabricating to washing cars and did it with a great attitude the entire time."

            BACE Motorsports has the distinction of being the only team to win the NASCAR Busch Championship over three consecutive years (1995, 1996, and 1997).  The team has 16 total victories, twice recorded Rookie of Year honors (1994, 1999) and has set 17 NASCAR Busch Series records.