The Lee College of Engineering has awarded its Alan Kulwicki Memorial Scholarship to Justin LaDuke. A formal presentation will be made Friday, Oct. 11, at Charlotte Motor Speedway prior to the Dollar General 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race.
The four-year Kulwicki Scholarship, established in 1994, is one of the highest honors within UNC Charlotte’s motorsports engineering program. It is awarded in memory of late NASCAR Winston Cup points champion Alan Kulwicki, who lost his life in a plane crash in 1993. Kulwicki, an engineer, was a strong supporter of engineering and science education. The Lee College of Engineering presents the scholarship to a high school senior who demonstrates outstanding academic achievement and who has an affiliation with auto racing.
A freshman who started this fall, LaDuke is the son of Elizabeth and Dane LaDuke of Whitakers. He said his goal is to keep driving short track cars and with the intent to move to bigger teams, which is why he came to UNC Charlotte.
“I wanted to come to UNC Charlotte to pursue my dreams of working for teams if I couldn’t drive for them. I also wanted to be closer to the racing community and some of my friends who are in racing here,” said LaDuke. “So far it’s been a great experience here. I like the people that I’ve met in the motorsports engineering community, and my professors are awesome.”
LaDuke started his racing career at age 8 in go-carts. At age 12, he moved into the VMCRA mini cup series where he finished second in points and became the youngest series winner. At age 14, he began racing in the Allison Legacy Series, which he won his third year. For the 2013 season, he has won 9 races in the Allison Legacy Series and is the current points leader.
UNC Charlotte has the premiere motorsports engineering program in the country, and the University attracts top students from across the country. The Lee College of Engineering has strong ties with many of the race teams in the Charlotte area, and UNC Charlotte engineering graduates can be found on numerous NASCAR teams.