NCMA North Carolina Motorsports Association

NC Motorsports Association Assists Discovery Place With Creation of Motorsports Lab

05/17/2010

CONCORD, N.C. - The North Carolina Motorsports Association ("NCMA") is pleased to announce its collaboration with downtown Charlotte's Discovery Place museum in the launch of a motorsports lab exhibit which showcases the concepts of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education to elementary, middle, and high school students.  The motorsports lab enables visitors to perform hands-on experiments involving, among other things, a fully functional scale model wind tunnel, various tire compounds, air flow using a real stock car manifold, restrictor plates, and the flame and heat resistance of materials used in race cars and driver suits.  Acting as crew chiefs, students can apply STEM concepts to various racing scenarios and view the real-time results of their decisions on computers using data captured during the experiments.  Additionally, visitors can view both an actual stock car engine and Legends car chassis, and learn about the safety features used in motorsports by visiting the lab's "touch tank" which includes roll bar padding, racing helmets, window netting, driver suits, seats, suspension components, and many other elements.
 
Andy Papathanassiou, Executive Director of the NCMA said, "STEM education and motorsports go hand-in-hand.  The NCMA is dedicated to display how STEM education, taught through a motorsports curriculum, can capture a child's imagination and lead to a lifelong career in fields as diverse as professional racing or biotechnology.   I am very pleased that many NCMA member organizations and other contributors were able to provide the authentic racing components for this exhibit."
 
The NCMA would specifically like to thank the following organizations for their generous contributions:  Dale Earnhardt, Inc., U.S. Legend Cars International, CV Products, G-Force Racing Gear, Hendrick Motorsports, The Joie of Seating, The North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame, Hoosier Asphalt Oval South, and AeroDyn Wind Tunnel.  The motorsports lab exhibit will be open at Discovery Place through June 13, 2010.
 

About the NCMA:
The North Carolina Motorsports Association (NCMA) is a trade association representing the $6 Billion motorsports economy and over 25,000 jobs in the state of North Carolina.  The NCMA is involved in a number of industry-focused initiatives, including:
*  Advocating on a local, state, and national level for the interests of the motorsports    industry;
*  Hosting motorsports industry networking events;
*  Conducting workforce development initiatives;
*  Engaging in youth outreach and educational programs;
*  Working as a clearinghouse for motorsports industry resources and information;
*  Providing consulting and advocacy for tracks, teams, businesses, and educational institutions.
 
For more information, visit www.MotorsportsNC.org
 
About Discovery Place:
Discovery Place is located in uptown Charlotte at 301 N. Tryon Street. Convenient parking is available in the Museum's parking garage - the Carol Grotnes Belk Complex - at the corner of Sixth and Church Streets. For more information about Discovery Place, call 704-372-6261 or visit www.discoveryplace.org.

One of the top hands-on science museums in the nation, Discovery Place provides ever-changing, entertaining facilities that engage the public in the active exploration of science and nature. More than a half-million people from all over the United States visit Discovery Place, its IMAX Dome Theatre and Charlotte Nature Museum each year. Discovery Place is supported, in part, with a Basic Operating Grant from the Arts & Science Council.