First-year students from the Rawlings Sport Business Management Program at Maryville University recently participated in hands-on learning experiences at the World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois. Nearly 100 students contributed to the setup and management of the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and the Enjoy Illinois 300 NASCAR Cup Series Chase races.
The students, serving as raceway crew, logged approximately 600 hours during setup and an additional 300 hours on event days. For many participants, this marked their initial foray into the motorsports industry.
Declan O’Neil, vice president of partnership marketing at World Wide Technology Raceway, praised the students’ contributions, stating, “Rawlings Sport Business Management students are excellent, and we appreciate having them assist us with these national events.”
Daniel Schmidt, an MBA instructor in the program, noted that the partnership not only provides students with experiential learning opportunities but also helps them apply classroom knowledge to real-world scenarios. “Their work at World Wide Technology Raceway involves corporate sponsorship, activation, event management and operations, as well as ticketing and customer communication,” he explained. “They also get exposed to motorsports—a part of the sports industry they’ve probably never considered before.”
Student Experiences
Students expressed appreciation for the opportunity to develop skills, enhance their resumes, and build professional networks. First-year student Karli Dean highlighted the importance of adaptability and attention to detail. Fellow student Parker Medina added, “The little details really go a long way when setting up these events. Putting so much time and effort on the small things really shows how much the hosts care about their events as well as how much it means to the consumers and sponsors.”
Charlie Phillips noted that the ticketing role encompasses much more than just selling tickets, emphasizing the importance of ensuring fan satisfaction. “Ticketing covers a lot more to make sure fans are happy and have a great experience—so they’ll come back again and again,” he said.
Andra Alexander took on a leadership role, overseeing her peers as they decorated the racetrack. “This really made me realize how much work gets put into any kind of event and is going to make me appreciate my experiences even more, whether I’m behind the scenes or in the stands,” she remarked.
Erick Gates, who plans to enter the job market upon graduation in spring, recognized the value of such experiences for career development. “Diversifying my resume with experiential experiences has been key,” he stated.
Deepening Partnership
According to Schmidt, the collaboration between Maryville University and World Wide Technology Raceway has strengthened over the past seven years, providing both onsite and project-based learning opportunities alongside classroom sessions with raceway executives. “Because of this partnership, we’ve had numerous students serve as interns and others hired as employees,” he noted. “Our World Wide Technology Raceway opportunities are unique learning experiences specifically tied to the Rawlings Sport Business Management program, and we’re grateful for the confidence and trust they have in our students.”
