Kyle Larson and the Urban Youth Racing School are teaching Philly students STEM

Many NASCAR drivers, including Kyle Larson, are in Pennsylvania for the NASCAR Cup Series’ Great American Getaway 400 this weekend at Pocono Raceway. But Larson’s connection to the state runs deeper.

The reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion has partnered with the Urban Youth Racing School in Philadelphia for the past five years, exposing students to motorsports career opportunities in fields such as engineering, media, mechanics, and hospitality.

“Kyle’s a winner. He’s a champion, and I think that kids want to be associated with that,” UYRS cofounder Anthony Martin said. “For them, it’s like, ‘Wow, I got a Kyle Larson, the champion in NASCAR, who’s one of the top names in NASCAR, who’s actually helping me, who’s actually there for me.’”

Larson has been involved with the school since as early as 2017, attending dinners and awards banquets hosted by UYRS, which provides STEM education to kids through motorsports, but the official partnership started in 2021.

In April 2020, Larson was suspended indefinitely by NASCAR after using a racial slur during a livestreamed iRacing event.

During that time, Martin, who established the racing school along with his wife, Michelle, reached out to Larson to check on him, strengthening the connection between the driver and the school.

He was reinstated in 2021 after completing sensitivity training and then won the NASCAR Cup Series championship for the first time. Martin said after winning, Larson acknowledged the racing school, which was in attendance for the race in Phoenix. Martin said that solidified the relationship between Larson and the school.

After Larson won his second championship last year, he donated $500,000 to provide scholarships, race simulators, and driving classes. He hosts and participates in events locally and has Zoom calls with the students.

And the relationship goes both ways, with the students inspiring Larson in their own way. Larson said via email that when his schedule allows, it’s always great to spend time with the students.

“Their interest in motorsports is awesome, and I’m always impressed by the thoughtful questions they ask,” Larson wrote. “You can tell they’re really interested in learning, not only about racing but what it takes to succeed. Being able to provide a little guidance along the way is something I really enjoy. Seeing their passion gives me a lot of confidence in the future of our sport.”

» READ MORE: NASCAR champ Kyle Larson’s bond with Philly urban youth racing stays strong | from 2022

The focus of the partnership remains on the many ways to get involved with the sport, especially through STEM. Because of all of the details that go into a successful race, Martin said racing and STEM are intertwined, and it’s important for students to understand the technology and terminology used, from “lift” and “drag” to “apexes” and “aerodynamics.”

“These are all science terms [and] these are all major terms that are associated with racing,” he said. “What we found … is that they do better in their science and technology, in their STEM classes in school, because of the affiliation and because of working with the racing school.”

Through a deeper understanding of these concepts and better performance in school, Martin said, the students become more confident in their abilities, which leads to getting jobs, whether that’s in motorsports or science and technology.

“Programs like the Urban Youth Racing School do a great job of showing kids opportunities they may not have realized existed,” Larson wrote. “When most people think about racing, they think about the driver, but it also takes mechanics, engineers, and many others to make a race team successful.”

» READ MORE: Ryan Carter found ‘family’ at Friends’ Central. Now, she’s bringing her experience to Team USA.

While the partnership with Larson is just a few years old, UYRS has been around since 1998.

In 1999, Jason Simmons joined UYRS. He’s now the senior director of international competition & operations for NASCAR.

A first-generation driver and NASCAR fan, Simmons said hearing from people in the field helped him see that their paths to working in motorsports weren’t that different from where he was starting.

Looking back now, he’s seen the way the racing school set him up for success and how having NASCAR drivers involved with the program impacted him. He believes Larson’s involvement will have the same effect for current students.

“That, to me, was one of the most powerful experiences that I got out of the racing school,” Simmons said. “They were able to tell those stories and throughout the year be able to say, ‘I know I was with you a couple of months ago, but here’s what I’ve learned since then on the track.’ You’re getting that real-time data through those connections, and that’s just invaluable.”

The career-focused aspect of the school is the most important part for Martin. Having Larson around to look up to only aids in succeeding in that mission.

“The impact that he’s had with our program has been good,” Martin said. “It motivates students to really get more involved in the industry because now they have that direct connection to someone who was successful in the industry, who they can say is their friend who’s in the industry, who motivates them to want to be in the industry. So that actually really helps them now overall.”