CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Twenty NASCAR drivers and celebrities joined more than 1,000 race fans to help collect $150,000 in donations and pledges for the Brienne Davis Scholarship Fund at the third Official Jail & Bail charity event, held Oct. 12.
       
The Brienne Davis Scholarship Fund – a program designed to help women gain the advanced training they need to pursue careers in the automotive industry – supports educational excellence and the considerable need for qualified technicians in the lucrative automotive field.
       
Each year, $10,000 scholarships are presented to three qualified female students who wish to further their automotive education at any one of Universal Technical Institute’s 11 campuses across the U.S., including the NASCAR Technical Institute in Mooresville, N.C.
       
Brienne Davis, a Universal Technical Institute (UTI) graduate and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Official, died tragically in 2008 at age 28, and is honored by this scholarship.
       
“Brienne Davis was a remarkable person who continues to inspire women who seek a technical education,” said Veronica Meury, vice president and executive director of the UTI Foundation. “Programs like this help deserving women pursue their dreams of a successful career in the automotive industry.”
       
Scholarships are funded through an annual “Official Jail & Bail” event organized by NASCAR Officials in memory of Davis, where members of the NASCAR community volunteer their time to raise funds for the scholarship program.
       
This year’s event included NASCAR drivers and other celebrities being “sentenced” and put behind bars with all of the “bail money” going to support the scholarship fund. Inmates included NASCAR drivers Landon Cassill; Kevin Conway; Denny Hamlin; Brad Keselowski; Travis Kvapil; Joey Logano; Casey Mears; Michael McDowell; Joe Nemechek; Max Papis; Tony Raines; Brian Scott, Reed Sorenson; Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Tony Stewart. Others locked up including the No. 11 FedEx Pit Crew, Jerry Cook and Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison and Red Farmer of “The Alabama Gang.” Legendary country music artists The Charlie Daniels Band provided memorable entertainment for the event.
       
Over the past three years of the Official Jail & Bail event, more than $300,000 has been raised to provide 30 scholarships for qualified female students.

“Brienne Davis Scholarship recipients represent the dedication and hunger to develop the skills necessary to have a successful career in the automotive industry and NASCAR,” said Todd Armstrong, managing director, NASCAR Automotive Group. “The program is a win-win for both the recipients and the entire automotive industry as a whole helping to foster and produce young, innovative talent.”
    
Criteria and application information for the Brienne Davis Scholarship is available on the Universal Technical Institute Foundation website.