Program to include scholarship and internship opportunities for
students pursuing workforce careers
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 22, 2025) – Daytona International Speedway and Daytona State College today announced a partnership that brings the two neighbors together to offer hands-on experience and scholarship opportunities for students pursuing workforce careers.
Uniting behind a shared history and commitment to the region – Daytona State was founded in 1957, while Daytona International Speedway opened in 1959 – the goal is to help ensure students receive the training and skills they need to successfully enter the workforce upon graduation.
The partnership will include a total of $6,000 in available scholarship monies and the opportunity for internships within the Daytona International Speedway operations and/or facilities team, getting hands-on experience in the day-to-day functions of the multi-use property that hosts numerous major events throughout the calendar year.
“Daytona International Speedway has a long history of providing a proving ground for drivers and cars on track, and our facility is the perfect place to help vocational students master their crafts,” said Frank Kelleher, President of Daytona International Speedway. “It’s especially meaningful that we can partner with our neighbors at Daytona State College, who serve nearly 23,000 students across seven campuses in Volusia and Flagler Counties.”
Daytona State offers more than 100 programs leading to certificates, associate, and bachelor’s degrees – in everything from aeronautics, healthcare and public safety to business, hospitality, engineering and digital media.
The College also delivers fast-track workforce training in high-demand trades like HVAC, construction, machining, welding, electrical, plumbing and automotive repair – with many programs finished in as little as two semesters.
“Daytona State College and the Daytona International Speedway are historic local institutions, and this scholarship will not only support students in our workforce programs with their education costs, but also give them valuable, hands-on experience at the Speedway they can carry into their careers,” said Dr. Tom LoBasso, President of Daytona State College. “Both organizations are dedicated to supporting the community and I look forward to what we can achieve together.”
This weekend, Daytona International Speedway hosts the final race of the regular season for the NASCAR Cup Series under the lights in Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 (7:30 p.m. ET). Several previous Cup race winners at Daytona are still looking for their first win of the season and hope their previous success at the Superspeedway translates to a 2025 Playoff berth by virtue of Saturday night’s Victory Lane celebration. RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher, as well as Justin Haley, Erik Jones, Michael McDowell, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. are all still chasing post-season glory in 2025.
Friday night features the Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola (7:30 p.m. ET), one of the final opportunities for the NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers to keep their championship hopes alive.
Tickets are still available for Saturday night’s race at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com. Fans can also purchase an exclusive pre-race ticket package for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 with a reserved seat, admission to the Hard Rock Bet Fanzone, and pre-race access for Gretchen Wilson’s pre-race concert.
About Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a state-of-the-art motorsports facility and was awarded the SportsBusiness Journal’s prestigious Sports Business Award for Sports Facility of the Year in 2016. Daytona International Speedway is the home of The Great American Race – the DAYTONA 500. Though the season-opening NASCAR Cup Series event garners most of the attention – as well as the largest audience in motorsports – the approximately 500-acre motorsports complex, also known as the World Center of Racing, boasts the most diverse schedule of racing on the globe. Some of the exciting racing events include January’s Rolex 24 At DAYTONA and Roar Before The Rolex 24, February’s DAYTONA 500 and Speedweeks Presented by AdventHealth, March’s Bike Week At DAYTONA Presented By GEICO, featuring DAYTONA Supercross and the DAYTONA 200, the August Coke Zero Sugar 400 weekend, and much more. The Speedway grounds are also used extensively for other events that include concerts (Welcome to Rockville, Heroes Honor Festival, etc.), sporting events (DAYTONA Soccer Fest, CLASH DAYTONA, etc.) civic and social gatherings, car shows, photo shoots, production vehicle testing and police motorcycle training.
About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 14 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR sanctions races in three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series™), four international series (NASCAR Brasil Series, NASCAR Canada Series, NASCAR Euro Series, NASCAR Mexico Series), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) and a local grassroots series (NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in five cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races annually in 11 countries and more than 30 U.S. states.
For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X and Facebook.
