Purdue University has partnered with Stewart-Haas Racing and NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Preece, ahead of the launch of the institution’s first-ever comprehensive urban campus in 2024.
The university, which has a relationship more than a century-long with Indianapolis Motor Speedway, will see its iconic Boilermaker black and gold colors plastered on the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang in Sunday’s Verizon 200 at The Brickyard on August 13.
Purdue University’s partnership with Stewart-Haas Racing, and just a NASCAR team in general, is quite fitting, as the University has one of the most unique and innovating motorsports engineering curriculums, with its Indianapolis-based campus having the only ABET-accredited undergraduate motorsports engineering program in the United States.
Between its campuses in Indianapolis and West Lafayette, Purdue University has been propelling students and graduates to exciting careers in various forms of motorsports including NASCAR, IndyCar, and IMSA, as well as manufacturers such as Dallara and Cummins.
“Purdue University’s persistent pursuit of innovation aligns well with the objectives of Stewart-Haas Racing, making this weekend’s partnership an ideal opportunity to showcase Purdue University in Indianapolis and the world-class engineering, computer science and technology degrees we will offer there from the start,” said R. Ethan Braden, executive vice president and chief marketing and communications officer for Purdue University and Purdue Global. “We look forward to serving as the primary sponsor and cheering on Ryan Preece as he goes full throttle this weekend at Indy. The iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway is just a few miles away from the Purdue University in Indianapolis campus and multiple downtown locations, including our space at High Alpha in the burgeoning Bottleworks District, where we’ll bring the full force of Purdue to our state capital city.”
Preece is currently in the midst of his first full season of NASCAR Cup Series competition with Stewart-Haas Racing, after being hand-selected by Tony Stewart to compete in the No. 41 Ford Mustang.
While results haven’t been the best in 2023, with the Berlin, Connecticut native only scoring a single top-10 finish – a fifth at Richmond – there have been bright spots, including an ARCA Menards Series West victory at Sonoma Raceway.
The 32-year-old driver is a proven winner in both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series over the years, having scored multiple victories in each discipline in recent years.
“It’s an honor to represent Purdue University in Indianapolis this weekend at the Brickyard,” said Preece, who first made a name for himself on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, winning the championship in 2013. “Indy is filled with history and prestige, and competing there is truly special. To have the gold-and-black colors of the Boilermakers on my car just adds to that prestige, as I’ve come to understand Purdue’s own history at Indianapolis.
“I’m impressed by the program Purdue University has for students looking to make a career in motorsports. Creative, hard-working people can thrive in racing. Knowledge is power, and the more you know, the better you are. To be able to showcase Purdue’s comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis makes me proud.”
While the partnership for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series event at Indianapolis will mark the first time that the University has dipped its toe into NASCAR, it continues an expanding motorsports portfolio, which includes sponsorship in the Superstar Racing Experience – for the entry shared by Helio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan.
Purdue University has achieved excellence at scale, with agriculture, graduate engineering, and invention counts all among the top four in the United States and across major American research universities, as it ranks first in undergrad STEM enrollment. Now, with ambitious plans for its new Indianapolis campus, Purdue University in Indianapolis will create new knowledge and establish a strong pipeline of Boilermaker talent to the capital city and beyond.
Preece will look to capture his second top-five result of the season, and potentially steal a victory at the road course, as he looks to qualify for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
