DAYTONA BEACH, Florida — Each week he is making the eight hour drive from Cleveland, OH to his home in Middleton, WI in time to race in the Bandit division at Madison International Speedway, an ASA Member Track located in Oregon, WI. Why the long trip? Pat Richgels is attending Ohio Technical College thanks to the scholarship he received last year for being part of the ASA - Student Educational Series.
"One of the reasons why the American Speed Association teamed up with Ohio Technical College for this program is to get young people back to the short tracks. "— Dennis Huth
Richgels is currently sixth in points in the entry division that competes every week on MIS's quarter-mile track that is inside it's famous half-mile oval. With his class schedule being Monday through Thursday, he is able to get home to race on Friday evenings.
When he was in high school, he was interested to work in the automotive field and the ASA - Student Educational Series opened many doors for him. "I got involved in it the first year I started racing Bandits at Madison International Speedway. We looked into it and got interested and said we might as well do it. We were really impressed with the facilities down there got real excited to go down there for school," Richgels said. "I was thinking of going to a local tech college and going into an automotive program but I wasn't sure how. Once I got into OTC and heard they won the School of the Year, I figured they were the real deal. So that really pushed me over the edge to go there."
He is about two-thirds through his 18-month program at Ohio Technical College and has learned a lot so far. "The program I am in is Complete Automotive which is basically every day street vehicles. The only thing we really don't cover is diesel trucks and stuff like that. We are going to go over Hybrids in about 12 weeks which is pretty neat," Richgels explained. "So far we have covered the electrical side of cars, engines, automatic and manual transmissions, differentials, everything that makes up a car we have gone over so far. Right now, the class we are in is engine performance which actually breaks down the sensors in the cars and how we can diagnose a car."
He is also impressed by how the classes are structured, "There is a good mixture. Cause if you just went out of the classroom with no understanding of what you are looking at, it would be worthless," Richgels said. "But, we would sit down in a classroom for about two to three hours and then you go out to the shop for the rest of the day and actually get good hands on experience. The way they do the classes is really neat. They put you in one class for six hours a day for six to twelve weeks. So you just cover one section of the car."
He will graduate in February, 2011 and is already thinking of what he wants to do after he does, "I'm keeping my options open, we are looking at a couple of dealerships here," Richgels said. "My uncle actually owns a shop around here and there is a race shop around here that I am interested in getting involved with."
Richgels also wants keep racing as well. He is planning on moving up to a Late Model next year. His last twelve weeks of school will be in the area of high performance which he may be able use some of what he learns towards next season. In fact, what he has learned already at OTC is helping with his Bandit car, "I learned some stuff about transmission and engines. I had some issues last year I couldn't put my finger on. Now, I have a firm understanding of what is going on now and we were able to work some of those kinks out. Unfortunately, not all of them."
When asked what he would say to any students thinking about being a part of the ASA - Student Educational Series? "Go for it! There is no reason not to if you want to be in the automotive field."
"We are excited to hear a story like Pat Richgels. It's a great example as to why we are involved with this program," Dennis Huth, ASA President. "One of the reasons why the American Speed Association teamed up with Ohio Technical College for this program is to get young people back to the short tracks. Pat is a great example of how he is taking what he is learning at OTC to make a career out of it along with his plans to move up to the Late Model division at Madison. We wish him nothing but success."
The ASA - Student Educational Series is co-sponsored by ASA-Racing and Ohio Technical College, the 2009 #1 rated technical college in the US. For more information on the program, go to www.asa-racing.com and click on the ASA Educational Series link on the right side of the ASA Racing home page.
Students interested in being a part of this program should contact Larry Pond, National Director, at lpond@asaeducationalseries.com or (480) 861-8108.
For more information about Ohio Technical College, please visit www.ohiotechnicalcollege.com.
ASA®, ASA Racing®, American Speed Association® are registered trademarks of Racing Speed Associates, LLC. ASA International, LLC or Racing Speed Associates, LLC are not related to or affiliated with ASA Late Model Series.
