Petty Enterprises has donated two #43 Nextel Cup race cars to the Virginia Institute for Performance Engineering and Research (VIPER). Richard Petty and son Kyle have donated the race cars to VIPER as research tools for mechanical engineering students pursuing graduate degrees. The Petty’s decision was prompted by the Nextel Cup’s retirement of the cars in preparation for the move to the “Car of Tomorrow” in 2008. Petty Enterprises General Manager Robbie Loomis noted in an ESPN.com article that the first donation would be to Virginia Tech for use at VIPER, primarily due to the research already underway there with a well-known motor sports team. “In this sport we need an area where we can groom and shape engineers to really fit the racing model. There always seems to be a disconnect between the book engineer and the actual applications engineer at the racetrack. So we hope we can bring that together for the future,” said Loomis. VIPER Director Steve Southward couldn’t agree more. “We are thrilled to have the race cars in the lab for hands-on experience. Working with these cars on our eight-post shaker rig allows our students to put what they learned about chassis engineering in class into practice in a way that leads to real know-how,” said Southward. The VIPER program in mechanical engineering began in 2005. The institute offers unique programs, including testing of commercial vehicles.(Danville Register)(3-11-2008)
