Two Technology Center students qualify for state competition

Robert Penny and Joshua Horrell, both automotive technology students at the Cape Career and Technology Center, will head to the Kansas City Speedway this month on an all-expenses-paid trip to determine who will represent the state of Missouri at the national Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills national finals in mid-June.  

Automotive technology instructor Dale McCraw said Penny and Horrell took an exam to qualify for the state competition at the Kansas Speedway, which is a “hands-on”, timed competition on cars that have been “bugged”.  Penny and Horrell will attempt to return the vehicle to working order under the watchful eye of a judge, who will then take the vehicle on a short, prescribed road test.  The winning team will proceed to the National Finals, a gala three-day event in June, including banquets and other social events at Ford Motor Company headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan.

In the photo above, automotive technology students Josh Horrell, left, and Robert Penny, right, work on a new Ford Focus, while their instructor, Dale McCraw, observes.  McCraw deliberately “bugged” the car with defective parts to give the students real-world practice in preparation for state competition in Kansas City later this month.  Ford Groves provided the test vehicle, and Auto Tire and Parts provided the parts.