SECTION: CHAMPION NEWS
Anthony Martin Helps Black Youth Get on the Fast Track to NASCAR
Anthony
Martin believes that black Americans should play a larger role in
NASCAR. So 11 years ago, Martin founded a school to prepare young black
men and women for careers in NASCAR. Located in Philadelphia, the Urban
Youth Racing School has been a pivotal training ground for minority
kids who aspire to drive race cars or work in motor sports. Rolling out
recently caught up with Martin, the CEO and founder of the Urban Youth
Racing School, who discussed the importance of the program. –amir shaw
Why did you decide to create this school?
I started out by wanting to introduce urban kids to the career
opportunities in motor sports. Motor sports is a multibillion dollar
industry black kids don’t know anything about. By starting the race
school, we wanted to introduce them to the sport and grow the sport by
having more black Americans involved.
How did your plan come to fruition?
The first step was to get sponsors. Dale Earnhart Jr. was the first
official spokesperson. The concept has been accepted in the NASCAR
community. Getting the kids involved in motor sports was a no-brainer.
We tell kids that there are several jobs they can pursue.
What advice do you give to kids who want to be a part of the program?
You have to think positive[ly] and stay in school. President Barrack
Obama recently called Philadelphia out about the 40 percent dropout
rate. The way things are going today, you’re not going very far if you
don’t have a high school diploma. The kids who are a part of this
school have a 99 percent graduation rate. If you want to be a part of
this program, you have to keep your grades up.
