Charlotte Based Esports Companies Partner with NASCAR
The Charlotte Phoenix and Stay Plugged IN (SPIN) are proud to announce their official partnership with NASCAR. This partnership will bring a three-part scholarship series to students throughout North America. NASCAR has been venturing into the esports scene for quite sometime now through iRacing as well as a partnership with the developers of Rocket League, Psyonix. Charlotte Phoenix has a top 10 North American Rocket League roster and looks to help both NASCAR and the Phoenix grow through the partnership. SPIN and NASCAR are both going to work together to bring the youth the opportunity to earn scholarships through playing esports and participating within parallel esports industries.
SPIN will organize two amateur tournaments for students where the All-stars of the event will be granted the opportunity to play with the Charlotte Phoenix professional roster in show matches on stream. It is a dream of many kids to play esports professionally and this will be the first step to getting them acclimated to some players and the professional scene. On top of earning the ability to play with pros, these students will also be playing in front of SPIN’s network of over 400 college esports programs spanning across the entirety of North America. In addition to amateur tournaments, there will be a coding and design competition where students will utilize Roblox to create their own game within teams. This partnership creates resume building and experiential learning opportunities to the participating students and the ability to apply their skills at the collegiate level.
“Gaming is part of our DNA here at NASCAR – and we are firm believers in what the gaming world can offer students as they begin to map out their lives and careers, ”
Nick Rend, NASCAR Managing Director of Gaming and Esports
“Gaming is part of our DNA here at NASCAR – and we are firm believers in what the gaming world can offer students as they begin to map out their lives and careers, ” said Nick Rend, NASCAR managing director of gaming and esports. “Whether it is competing in a high-level esports environment, building a career in the business of gaming, or some combination of the two, there are endless opportunities available to students to engage with the modern gaming world in a meaningful and rewarding way – and we are committed to doing our part to ensure that students can take advantage of these opportunities with the help of our friends at Stay Plugged IN.”
“We’re incredibly excited to work with NASCAR to give students more opportunities to learn, grow, and develop their skills in the gaming industry. NASCAR’s strong brand enables us to get our message out to many students across the US that may not realize the wealth of possibilities esports can bring them. We hope NASCAR fans can see how esports can be beneficial, and we know that many esports fans will be excited by the chance NASCAR is providing. Our visions aligned to blend a series of competition and educational curriculum in a way that engages students through STEM. With our companies being headquartered in Charlotte, it was a natural fit to introduce this program in our local community as well as on our national platform.” Said SPIN Managing Director, Rick Suarez.
Three Part Scholarship Program
Students will be able to participate in the three part eNASCAR Scholarship Program. Each portion of the program is free-standing and provides opportunities for students to be seen by colleges while also building life and professional skills. Students from ages 13-18 interested in pursuing esports either academically or professionally are able to participate and begin their recruiting process.
Part 1: Scholarship Series I
The first portion to the eNASCAR Scholarship Program is an ameteur tournament. Students will compete over a 3 week season that leads up to an end-of-season tournament. There will be 6 best of 5 games played in the season to determine seeding for the tournament. Students will be competing for the chance to earn a portion of the $2,000 scholarship provided by NASCAR.
Part 2: Design & Coding
The second part of the eNASCAR Scholarship Program is a design and coding camp. Within this online camp, students will be broken up into teams where they will learn about coding each week through a 1 hour course. At the conclusion of the educational period, the teams will then utilize Roblox Design and Development to create their own game that will be judged. The students will compete for their share of the $3,000 scholarship being awarded by NASCAR for the best developed and designed game.
Part 3: Scholarship Series II
The third and final portion of the eNASCAR Scholarship Program is another ameteur tournament. The format of the amateur tournament will be the same as Scholarship Series I, but with a larger scholar dollar amount attached. Students in this portion will be competing for $4,000 in scholarships provided by NASCAR.
If you are either a Rocket League player looking to better your skills and compete for a college esports scholarship or a design & coding enthusiast looking to do the same be sure to sign up today for the eNASCAR Scholarship Program! Registrations are currently open for Scholarship Series I and the Design & Coding portions of the Scholarship Program. All students aged 13 to 18 are eligible to register and compete in any portion of the NASCAR event. Be sure to not miss out on this terrific opportunity to use your passion to compete and earn scholarships to work towards further education and future careers.