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First NASCAR Pit Crew Intern Begins Work on the Geoff Bodine Team For Texas 500

30 March 1998

First NASCAR Pit Crew Intern Begins Work on the Geoff Bodine Team For Texas 500

  Bodine Inaugurates Program with Speech at Grand Prairie School On April 1

    WEST ORANGE, N.J., March 30 -- The first intern to work in a
pit crew for a NASCAR team will report to work for Geoff Bodine for the Texas
500.  Lincoln Technical Institute student Doug Merriman will work with
Bodine's team for the entire week leading up to the April 5 race at Texas
Motor Speedway in Dallas.  Lincoln Tech is a sponsor of the Bodine team, and
will place eight automotive interns in his pit crew during the NASCAR season.
Merriman attends Lincoln Technical Institute in Grand Prairie, Texas.
    Bodine will officially kick off the racing internship program at a
presentation to students on Wednesday, April 1 at 1:00 p.m.  It will be held
at the Lincoln Tech campus at 2501 E. Arkansas Lane, Grand Prairie, TX.
    "This is a groundbreaking alliance," said Pat Santangelo, president and
CEO of Lincoln Tech.  "It demonstrates a very forward-looking attitude by
Geoff and NASCAR because today's students are tomorrow's automotive experts.
Lincoln Tech and the Bodine team share a commitment to excellence, and I
believe our program will have the same success with Bodine and NASCAR as we
have enjoyed preparing young people in the automotive industry for over
50 years."
    An advocate of technical training, Bodine will be sponsored by Lincoln
Tech for the second consecutive year.  "I believe technical education cannot
only provide an individual with exceptional training skills, but can better
prepare that person for the future," said Bodine.  "I'm excited about this
program, and I welcome Doug Merriman, as well as future interns into our pit
crew.  I'm glad to be part of the process to prepare talented young
technicians for a career in racing."
    Merriman flew to Charlotte on Sunday to work with the Bodine crew at its
headquarters.  On Wednesday, they'll fly to Dallas to prepare for the Texas
500.  Merriman is from Argyle, TX, and was a rodeo star at Billy Ryan High
School in Denton, TX.
    Founded in 1946, Lincoln Technical Institute is committed to providing
highly specialized training through a combination of classroom learning and
relevant hands-on experience with real world equipment.  Renowned for training
the country's best auto technicians, Lincoln also offers a full range of
technical training and business courses at its Lincoln Tech schools and
affiliated Cittone Institutes.  Lincoln has 14 schools in six states,
including New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana and Texas.

SOURCE  Lincoln Technical Institute