The Arizona Nationals will kickoff TSR’s 2024 partnership with Mopar CAP. The program consists of strategic alliances between Stellantis and over 100 colleges and trade schools teaching technical curriculum integrated into the school’s general automotive program. How valuable is Mopar CAP in recruiting younger talent into the world of motorsports?
“The Mopar CAP program is very crucial to the automotive industry. There’s such a shortage of skilled, talented people in the workforce and the automotive industry that programs like Mopar CAP provide an opportunity for kids that want to be in this industry. It helps manufactures and dealers have access to these students while they’re in school, so I feel like it’s a big advantage.”
The Arizona Nationals serve as a quasi-home race, splitting time with wife Leah Pruett in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. How special are the races you get to compete in out West?
“Pomona and Phoenix are both big races for us. Obviously Pomona is really close to Redlands, California where Leah (Pruett) grew up and was raised, so that’s definitely a home race for her. Having her family there to watch us run wasn’t necessarily more pressure, but you definitely want to perform well in front of your family. With both of us living in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, Phoenix is definitely a home race for us so to speak. It definitely means a lot to us, since we spend just as much time in Arizona as we do in Indiana. We have a lot of friends and fans in Lake Havasu that are going to the race, so we definitely want to perform well there as well.”
Since this is your first time racing at Firebird Motorsports Park, do you anticipate there being any learning curves specific to that track?
“I think having Leah and Matt (Hagan) as teammates, that has really helped me understand the nuances of a new race track like Phoenix because it’s not new to them. They’ve raced a lot of times there and just having their knowledge will expedite the learning process for me, so I think it’ll be a smooth transition getting ready to go to the track that’s new for me.”
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