The Flying WV now flies...around the racetrack
Freshman unveils gold and blue, WVU car (Special from Travis Braden Motorsports & West Virginia University)
April 24, 2013
Wheeling, West Virginia (April 24, 2013) – If you think you’ve seen the Flying WV logo just about everywhere, you probably haven’t seen it on a car hood zooming around a major racetrack.
Now you can.
The No. 01 racecar of Travis Braden, reigning ARCA/CRA Super Series Rookie of the Year, now sports the West Virginia University logo and the “old gold and blue” colors in 2013. Braden, a native of Wheeling, W.Va., is a freshman in WVU’s Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources and plans to major in mechanical engineering.
“I hope I can build excitement and interest in our team and that people will want to get involved in helping make us a success,” Braden said. “I hope to make my fellow West Virginians and Mountaineers proud as I fly our colors on my racecar each week.”
Braden chose to come to WVU and study engineering to further push his career as a racecar driver. He has participated in competitive racing – from ATVs to go-karts to legends cars – since the age of 6. The following video showcases Braden’s rise in the racing world and his recent experience at Daytona Speedway:
“I think the partnership between Travis Braden Motorsports and West Virginia University has great potential,” he added. “I am excited to get more involved with the University’s programs, particularly the engineering programs. There are so many great people to meet and friendships to build. I hope to become someone that young students of the state can look up to and follow, and that my constant fight to the top inspires them to work hard for something they really want, too.”
The new color scheme was revealed for the first time last week (April 20) when Braden raced in The Border Wars 7-Up 150 at Toledo Speedway in Toledo, Ohio.
The advertising agreement with Braden Motor Sports was a natural for WVU, said Tricia Petty, associate vice president for University Relations.
“Travis is a great student pursuing his childhood dream,” Petty said. “We saw this as a unique opportunity to support him in that effort while at the same time promoting West Virginia University to a broader audience. We think Travis will continue to do great things – both on the track and in the classroom.”
“It’s only been in the past 20-plus years or so that NASCAR teams have begun to hire college-degreed engineers for their race teams, and only a handful of drivers have actually been engineers themselves,” said Mary Dillon, coordinator of marketing and communications at the Statler College. “Travis’ attempts to combine his education and his avocation make him a rarity in the industry and could one day set him up for great success in the field.”
The ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS features 17 events, held at tracks across the Midwest.
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