First-Year Students Gain Motorsports Experience Through Raceway Partnership

October 16, 2026 - 04:36

Nearly 100 first-year students from the Rawlings Sport Business Management program at Maryville University stepped into the fast-paced world of NASCAR this season, working directly at World Wide Technology Raceway as part of a new partnership designed to connect classroom lessons with real industry practice.

The students took on a range of operational roles during race weekends, from guest services and sponsorship activation to logistics and event coordination. For many, it was their first exposure to the professional sports industry, and the setting could hardly have been more demanding. NASCAR events draw tens of thousands of spectators and require precise teamwork across dozens of departments, giving students a crash course in how major sporting events actually run behind the scenes.

Faculty involved in the program said the goal was to move students out of the lecture hall and into live environments early, rather than waiting until junior or senior year for internships. The raceway partnership offers that chance at scale, placing a large cohort of first-year students on site instead of a handful of select interns.

Program leaders described the collaboration as a long-term investment in the region's sports workforce. Motorsports has grown into a significant economic driver in the St. Louis area, and the raceway has expanded its event calendar in recent years. By building a pipeline of trained students, both the university and the track expect to benefit.

Students who participated said the experience sharpened skills that are hard to teach in a classroom, including communication under pressure, quick problem solving and reading a crowd. Several noted that working a live event changed how they think about their future careers, opening interest in roles they had not previously considered, such as sponsorship management, fan engagement and venue operations.

The university plans to continue and expand the partnership in coming seasons, with more race weekends and additional roles available to incoming classes.