Track Day with Driven to Care and Esses Racing
Driven to Care (DTC), in collaboration with Esses Racing, hosted local automotive students at Circuit of the Americas (COTA).

We were happy to extend our invention to a student from Austria, who was touring the paddock after defending his Automotive PhD at the University of Texas before the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).
Students enjoyed touring the track and listening to influencers on the field. Here is a recap of how the day went:
Lisa Weinberger, the Founder of the Driven to Care (DTC) program, initiated the day by discussing available scholarships, student experiences, and volunteer opportunities at COTA. These unique opportunities provide insights into track operations, support services, and the chance to become part of the COTA team.
Teresa Taylor of TT Productions, discussed her current developing TV series featuring young teenage racers climbing the ranks. She shared insights from spending time with three teenage race car girls, offering a glimpse into their lives within the fast lane. Additionally, she spoke about her own career beginnings.
Don Ruse - Assistant Professor of Instruction at UT at Austin McCombs School of Business. Don talked about the Winning! The Leadership Accelerator Program is being launched by the University Of Texas McCombs School of Business at the Circuit of the Americas. This leadership development program uses the principles that make winning race teams successful and teaches senior leaders how to use these to win in business.
After hearing Don's presentation Lisa Weinberger committed to launching a DTC Engineering scholarship at UT through their Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) program. This collaboration holds immense promise for future success. Lisa, having obtained her MBA from UT, is excited to make this commitment to support her fellow Alma mater.
Les Kiser, known as the Speed Mayor, provided invaluable insight into broadcasting life and conducted a tour of the race control room. This visit allowed students to witness behind-the-scenes activities during every race.
Phil Spano from Esses Racing discussed the differences between composite tubs and tubular tubs on race cars, emphasizing safety protocols. He stressed the importance of adherence to these protocols to prevent potentially catastrophic issues. Each team member has specific duties, working collectively for optimal performance.
David Easter, University of Texas SAE student and Esses Racing Junior Data Engineer, took a moment to shed light on his role within Esses, offering students a glimpse into his area of expertise.
Towards the end of our session, photographers from Warfight Studios generously offered to take interested students on a track photography tour—a delightful surprise.
We extend our gratitude to all presenters for mentoring our future leaders, and to Esses Racing for facilitating our student experience during their private event at the track.
A special thanks to our extraordinaire volunteers, Natalie Chapman and Ashley Sanchez for documenting our time together.
Driven to Care looks forward to hosting more Student Experiences. We will keep you updated! Be sure to sign up with Techforce.org to stay connected and informed on upcoming events.