motorsports management
Prospective Students
If you are a prospective student and are interested in Belmont Abbey College, please feel free to contact the Office of Admissions at 704.461.6665 or CLICK HERE to request more information.
If you are a senior and are interested in applying to the College, you must submit the following:
- Application (CLICK HERE to apply online)
- SAT and/or ACT test scores
- High School or College (if applicable) Transcript
- To visit the Admissions website, please CLICK HERE
In order to participate in the Motorsports Management Program, you must be accepted into the College, and must be a declared Business major.
To read about the Business Major requirements, CLICK HERE
To complete the Motorsports Management Program:
In order to graduate with a concentration in Motorsports Management, you must complete the following courses. (To view the requirements, please CLICK HERE)
MS 201. Motorsports Fundamentals
This course is designed to provide the student with an overview of the racing industry with particular emphasis on the myriad of opportunities in the various competitive motorsports series. Material will include both an historical perspective as well as projected developments in each of the major content areas.
MS 311. Motorsports Marketing
Prerequisite: MS 201
This course will focus on sports marketing—specifically related to the motorsports industry. Topics to be covered include advertising, sponsorship development, public relations, consumer behavior, market development, and the media.
MS 312. Racing Management
Prerequisite: MS 311
This course will familiarize the student with the main components of the racing industry--including track operations, racing teams, NASCAR, support operations, and logistical considerations. Experiential opportunities (including facility tours) are an integral part of the course.
MS 411. Team Management
Prerequisite: MS 312
This course is designed to increase the student’s ability to be an effective team leader, particularly in high intensity environments. Both theoretical approaches and experiential learning (using motorsports scenarios) will be utilized. Topics will include such issues as leadership, team composition, managing multiple personality types, crisis management, and motivation.
To learn more about the Motorsports Management Program, CLICK HERE or contact Dr. Tracy Rishel, Director of the Motorsports Management Program, at tracyrishel@Bac.edu
One of the many perks about this program is that the classes are team taught by faculty and Industry leaders.
Check out who lectured for the 2007-2008 academic year:
- Humpy Wheeler, Chairman and CEO, The Wheeler Co.
- Patti Wheeler, President, Wheeler TV
- Tom Cotter, President, Cotter Enterprises
- John Bickford, VP and GM, Jeff Gordon, Inc.
- Brian Flynn, CEO, Richard Petty Driving Experience
- Hunter Nickell, Executive VP and GM, SPEED
- Trip Wheeler, VP and GM, Velocity Sports and Entertainment, Charlotte Office
- Terry Hanson, President, Hanson Enterprises
- Mark McArdle, Vice President and Managing Director of Competition, Gillett Evernham Motorsports
- Bill Patterson, Executive Vice President, Richard Childress Racing
- Doug Herbert, NHRA Driver, Top Fuel Dragster
- Steve Earwood, Owner, Rockingham Dragway
- Tom Deery, President, World Racing Group
- Art McCarter, CFO, Richard Childress Racing
- Ben Geisler, Chief Marketing Office, World Racing Group
- Steve Lauletta, President, Chip Ganassi Racing
- Joyce Caron-Mercier, VP Sponsor Operations, Roush Fenway Racing
- Brooke Beyer, Assistant General Counsel, NASCAR.
- Christian Byrd, Manager, Business Development, Speedway Motorsports, Inc.
- J. Thomas Warlick, General Counsel, Motorsports Authentics
- Heath Cherry, Sponsor Services Manager, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Bruce Mosley, Vice President, Account Director, Millsport
- Randy Hedger, Assistant Competition Administrator, NASCAR
- Frank Kimmel, 9 time ARCA Champion
Those underlined are the Motorsports Management Board of Directors. As you can see, our Board of Directors is truly made up of the “Who’s Who” in Industry leaders.
2007-2008 Tours:
Many of the classes are also spent “off campus,” touring different facilities. In order to gain perspective on what it is like to be working within such a fast paced and demanding industry, it is necessary to walk the path of those who are currently in it.
- Joe Gibbs Racing
- Roush Fenway Racing
- NASCAR R&D Center
- Robby Gordon Motorsports
- Lowe’s Motor Speedway
- Richard Petty Driving Experience
- PIT Instruction and Training
Professors:
Dr. Tracy D. Rishel is the Director of the Motorsports Management Program and an Associate Professor at Belmont Abbey College. Rishel came to the Abbey in 2006 to oversee the development and delivery of the Motorsports Management curriculum.
Rishel spent two years at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro where she contributed her expertise in the business aspects of racing to the school’s motorsports technology curriculum. In addition to numerous faculty positions, including four years at UNC Wilmington, her background includes private sector posts in manufacturing, supply chain, and consulting. An active member of the North Carolina Motorsports Association and a member of the Central Piedmont Community College Motorsports Advisory Board, Rishel has researched, presented findings, and co-authored numerous articles related to the business of motorsports.
Rishel received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Business Logistics as well as her Ph.D. degree in Operations Management at the Pennsylvania State University.
Dr. Philip Bayster is currently chair of the Business Department at Belmont Abbey College. Prior to joining the Abbey, he was Dean of the MBA program at Davenport University in Grand Rapids Michigan. He also spent over thirty years in the telecommunications industry in senior management positions with AT&T and Telcordia Technologies. Dr. Bayster received a BBA from the University of Michigan (he remains a die hard Wolverine fan), a MS in Management from MIT (where he was a Sloan Fellow), and a PhD in Management from Rutgers University in New Jersey. Phil and his wife Kathryn live in Belmont, NC.
As a native of Detroit, he has had a long time interest in cars from both a styling and performance perspective. The opportunity to work closely with the industry on the development of the Abbey’s motorsports management program represents an exciting career highlight.
Millsport -Leading motorsports marketing agency
(Left to Right): Mike Mooney (Millsport), Pat Wood (Street & Smith Publications) , David Jessey (Gillette Evernham Motorsports), Dr. Tracy Rishel (Belmont Abbey College), Dr. Philip Bayster (Belmont Abbey College), Blake Davidson (NASCAR), David Safran (SPEED), Michael Burch (SMI), Ken Cohn (Millsport) and Bruce Mosely (Millsport).
