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Lively Automotive Tech Program gets a boost from NASCAR race team grant

Along with nearly half-a-dozen fully equipped automotive repair bays, Lively has several specialized training units that give students experience in diagnosing and correcting problems in automotive systems such as fuel, ignition, cooling and computer controls.
Tom Flanigan
Along with nearly half-a-dozen fully equipped automotive repair bays, Lively has several specialized training units that give students experience in diagnosing and correcting problems in automotive systems such as fuel, ignition, cooling and computer controls.

Leon County's Lively Vocational College has received a large grant from the Hendrick Racing NASCAR team. The money will put the college's automotive technology progam on a faster track. College Director Shelly Bell said the cash will definitely come in handy.

"$25,000 is a lot!" she exclaimed. "We're going to use it to buy some additional trainers for our automotive program as well as invest in actually teaching our kids how to build a race car."

Wakulla Schools Superintendent Bobby Peace said Lively is a priceless resource for his automotive tech students.

"If they need additional certifications, they can do them here at Lively, either in their senior year or when they graduate. And then after that, placement with high paying jobs right now in technical fields like automotive."

Those fields often have starting salaries in the high five-figure bracket.

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Tom Flanigan has been with WFSU News since 2006, focusing on covering local personalities, issues, and organizations. He began his broadcast career more than 30 years before that and covered news for several radio stations in Florida, Texas, and his home state of Maryland.

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