Motorsports
Detroit Engine Building Bootcamp prepares youths for automotive careers
Not every dream has a yellow brick road, a lion and scarecrow, and that’s where the Engine Building Bootcamp comes in. In the automobile capital of the world, the National Motorsports Association is creating a pathway for Detroit youths to build the careers of their dreams.
Carmen Carter, president and CEO of NMA Detroit, says the nonprofit’s goal is to expose Detroit youths to motorsports and automotive manufacturers, with hands-on experience building engines, stock car pit crew challenges and automotive dealership opportunities. “It becomes very rewarding when we look at our youth and we see that they can now take an engine apart and put it back together,” Carter said.
“I never really touched an engine in my life,” 17-year-old Detroiter Josiah Humphrey said, even though he grew up surrounded by cars, because his grandpa, Lonnie Charles Humphrey, built engines for GMC. But engines aren’t what attracted Josiah to Engine Building Bootcamp. Josiah plans on becoming a professional race car driver for Formula 1, and he learned about this opportunity through Curry Motorsports, which partnered with NMA Detroit. Julius Curry, former NFL football player for the Detroit Lions and at the University of Michigan, founded Curry Motorsports to provide access and opportunity for all with a diverse background and experience.
On Aug. 7, a day before graduation, boot campers huddled around a stock racing car, ready to compete in the Stock Car Pit Crew Challenge. The first time they heard a wheel gun, used to change the tires on a stock car, up close, some youths jumped back, but by the end they were learning that racing is more than just driving fast. It’s a team sport that highlights athleticism and precision, down to the tires.
The boot camp, which started in the summer of 2023, also paid all participants through the city of Detroit’s Growing Detroit’s Young Talent summer internship program, and is looking for opportunities and apprenticeships for the graduates of the boot camp.
Grow Detroit’s Jasmine Hickman says the boot camp provides structure and stability that gives participants an advantage in the job market. “I think this program gets them ready for adulthood,” Hickman said.
Participants walk away with more than theory. They gain foundational skills along with knowledge and familiarity with precision tools that they can take with them into any career in the automotive industry.