Belmont Abbey College announced today the nation's first four-year bachelor's degree with a concentration in Motorsports Management.

"We recognize the importance and uniqueness of motorsports," says Dr. Philip Bayster, chair of the Business Department at Belmont Abbey College. "There's a need for management talent. The companies associated with the motorsports industry are exceedingly advanced and as the industry continues to grow, there will be an even greater need for highly sophisticated, competitive individuals."

Belmont Abbey College President, Dr. William Thierfelder agrees.

"NASCAR is a young industry," says Thierfelder. "Belmont Abbey College recognizes that if the industry is to succeed, it will need qualified people who possess not only the proper training, but also the skills necessary to help cultivate it. We are very proud to assist in the industry's future growth and in many ways, contributing to the economy of North Carolina through the success of our graduates."

Although other programs of study exist, Bayster says the Abbey's program will be the first with a strong emphasis on business. Other programs concentrate on technical aspects of the industry and are solely engineering-based.

"One of the goals we have is to develop strong, future leaders in the workplace. The other is to provide a quality business and internship experience for students who have expressed a passionate interest in a motorsports-related career," says Bayster.

The new area of study will require 120 credit hours. In addition to a traditional liberal arts core of study, students at the Abbey will also focus on a "body of knowledge" required by all undergraduate Business majors, which will include subjects such as accounting, economics, marketing, and communications. The Motorsports Management Concentration will include four specific courses in sports marketing, racing management, team management and motorsports fundamentals.

Completion of an intensive internship program will also be mandatory of all students in the program. Students will complete a total of three internships, one in each main area of the motorsports industry - track operations, race teams and support operations. Students, who have successfully fulfilled the 360 internship hours, will receive a total of nine credits.

A member of the North Carolina Education Consortium for Motorsports, Belmont Abbey College plans to continue to consult with educators and motorsports industry professionals in making the Abbey's program a premier area of study.

"This program is greatly needed in our booming industry," said Speedway Motorsports, Inc. president H. A. "Humpy" Wheeler. "We have several institutions offering motorsports engineering and technical degrees and one community college with a two-year motorsports management degree but this four-year degree at the Abbey will help us meet the great need to feed new management people into racing where there are over 7,000 jobs in North Carolina and probably 20,000 across America."

With more than 300 professional racing teams, superspeedway giant - Lowe's Motor Speedway, a total of 50 other racetracks, a number of motorsports museums and racing schools, various support industries, from marketing firms to automotive equipment suppliers and NASCAR's corporate branch offices all calling North Carolina "home" - it should come as no surprise that racing is becoming big business in the Tar Heel State.

In fact, according to a 2003 study, the motorsports industry is credited with generating over 24,400 jobs for North Carolina's economy.

And as its fan base continues to rival those of other professional sports, experts predict motorsports will experience an even bigger boom in business.

To meet the growing needs of the motorsports industry and to prepare students, Belmont Abbey College will offer a new area of study, a bachelor's degree in Business Management with a concentration in Motorsports Management beginning in the fall of 2006.

The Abbey will be the first college or university in the country to offer this type of four-year degree designed with a specific focus on the business and management side of the industry.

Ranked one of the best comprehensive colleges in the Southeast by U.S. News and World Report and The Princeton Review, Belmont Abbey College celebrates excellence and virtue steeped in its 130-year Catholic Benedictine heritage.
The Catholic liberal arts College is home to students from over 34 states and 17 countries and welcomes everyone from any background or tradition committed to this vision of excellence and virtue. The campus consists of the College, the Monastery and the Abbey Basilica, which can be found on its sprawling 650 acres of picturesque landscape.

Just minutes from Charlotte, N.C., the nation's second largest banking center, Belmont Abbey College offers students numerous internship opportunities and career placement.

The College believes in development of the whole person - mind, body and spirit. The Abbey invests in the personal growth of each of its students by offering a wide array of cultural events, clubs, and activities, including Division II athletics, study abroad opportunities, intramurals, community theatre, publications, student government, honors program, Greek life, campus ministry, community volunteer programs, and nearly 50 other clubs and organizations.

Founded in 1876, the College celebrates its heritage and is inspired by the Benedictine monastic tradition. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the College and Abbey Basilica greet thousands of visitors each year.

For more information about Belmont Abbey College, please visit our website at www.belmontabbeycollege.edu.