Chase Hawk and Kyle Bacon from Carroll County Career & Technology Center in Westminster were recently crowned the top high school auto technicians in Maryland after winning the Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills state finals.  As part of their first place win, each student received scholarships to automotive technology schools, tools, and equipment valued at $60,000. 

The team, led by their instructor, Tim Haines, will represent Maryland in the National Finals June 10-12 in Dearborn, Michigan against teams from all 50 states. 

“Our 2012 team of Chase and Kyle worked very hard to prepare for this year’s State Championships.  The students spent many hours after school studying Automotive Theory, along with hands-on car repair practice, which showed in their performance at the State Competition,” commented Tim Haines, Automotive Technology Teacher at Carroll County Career & Technology Center.  “We are now rigorously preparing for the National Finals in Dearborn, Michigan, which will be even more challenging as we compete against 49 other teams from across the U.S.”

After taking the on-line written exam earlier this year, the Carroll County Career & Technology Center students were among 10 pairs of Maryland students whose high scores qualified them to advance to the state finals, which were held May 12 at the Community College of Baltimore County/Catonsville campus.  The students represented their school as a pair in a race to correctly diagnose and repair intentionally installed “bugs” on vehicles.  Each pair was judged on their speed, accuracy and workmanship.

“Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills energizes young people about the great potential in the automotive technician profession and encourages them to get the best training possible,” said Ben Perricone, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s Approved Auto Repair Territory Manager, who directed Maryland’s Finals competition.  “The industry is constantly changing, and as vehicular technology becomes increasingly complex, we need bright young minds to take on the challenge of helping to keep drivers safe and our vehicles efficient.  The Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills competition gives motivated students a chance to obtain the latest technical training and opportunities to pay for it.”

Chase Hawk, Kyle Bacon and their instructor, Tim Haines, will travel to the Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, to compete in the Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills National Finals, June 10-12.  Pairs of students representing all 50 states will compete in a written test of their automotive knowledge, and a hands-on competition similar to the state finals.

Among the additional scholarships and tools the national winning team will receive, this year’s grand prize is a seven day trip to Charlotte, North Carolina and Daytona Beach, Florida to shadow Wood Brothers Racing as they prepare the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford/Motorcraft 21 car to race at the legendary Daytona International Speedway, the location where Wood Brothers Racing’s driver Trevor Bayne became the youngest driver to ever win the Daytona 500.