WELCOME, N.C. -- The motorsports technology program at Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem, N.C., has been renamed Richard Childress Race Car Technology at Forsyth Tech.

The announcement was made during a ceremony October 27 on the Forsyth Tech campus. On-hand for the event were: Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing; Dr. Gary Green, president of Forsyth Technical Community College; and Randy Butner, program director of Richard Childress Race Car Technology at Forsyth Tech.

“Richard Childress Racing has had a long-standing relationship with Forsyth Tech and currently employs a number of its graduates, so I’m honored to take that relationship to this next level,” said Childress. “Having a good education is more important than ever in today’s world, and motorsports is no exception. The program students will go through in the Richard Childress Race Car Technology at Forsyth Tech provides real-world experience because its instructors have decades of real-world experience to draw from.”

The Richard Childress Race Car Technology at Forsyth Tech is the first and largest race car technology program in the North Carolina community college system and one of the finest in the United States. The two-year curriculum includes engine assembly, engine tuning, chassis and body fabrication, and transmission and gear assembly. Forsyth Tech has been named a Center of Excellence for Motorsports by the North Carolina Motorsports Consortium.

"The partnership announced today brings together the leading race car education program in the state with the premier NASCAR racing team," said Dr. Gary Green, President of Forsyth Tech. "The Richard Childress Race Car Technology program at Forsyth Tech will enhance education and job opportunities for young people throughout the region."