Anim Amarsingh likens his hometown of Los Iros Bay in Trinidad and Tobago to Concord, N.C., in many ways - the greenery, the fresh air and just about everything else except for the loud roar of NASCAR engines. Amarsingh, a rising junior at Morgan State, is spending his summer in Concord as an intern taking part in the NASCAR Diversity Internship Program.
Amarsingh - who is working with the NASCAR Research & Development team - had more than a cursory interest in racing before joining the program. His father, a University of Texas graduate, introduced him to NASCAR at a young age. And while Trinidad and Tobago might not have the most fervent, tradition-steeped fan base, Amarsingh says interest in the sport is growing.
"There are a lot of auto racing fans in Trinidad and the other islands," he said.
Amarsingh, 19, is one of 13 minority college students or recent graduates participating in NDIP, which was founded in June 2000. The program provides participants with a 10-week paid summer internship in the motor sports industry. NDIP's goal is to create a more diverse work force within the sport, said Marcus Jadotte, NASCAR's managing director of public affairs.
"The NASCAR Diversity Internship Program has introduced dozens of students from diverse backgrounds to professional opportunities in NASCAR," Jadotte said.
"The program has played an important role in NASCAR's efforts to attract the best and brightest to our industry."
One NDIP intern in 10 goes on to gain full-time employment in NASCAR. The private company does not provide figures on how much of its work force is made up of minorities. Of 246 drivers in the sport this season, four are women and four are men of color, a NASCAR spokesman said.
Amarsingh, who studies electrical engineering at Morgan, said he was fascinated at an early age by the mechanical principles involved in NASCAR.
"I like anything automotive," he said. He's "definitely more of a fan now that I've learned how in-depth and expansive engineering is in NASCAR."
Amarsingh has spent his time in Concord designing a system evaluating the solvent in self-venting coupling systems. Currently, NASCAR uses multiple systems to test each solvent. Amarsingh's task has been to research and design one uniform testing method. "There's nobody leaning over and watching. I know what I have to do to finish the projects," he said.
