Teachers Make Connections Between NASCAR and Economics

The Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS) recently served as a classroom for high school economics teachers as they learned how they could incorporate the speedway and NASCAR into their lessons to show students the relationship between economics and the real world.

The Georgia Council on Economic Education and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta partnered to offer the workshop. Fayette teachers attending included Taylor Sweeney, Starr’s Mill High; David Brown, Whitewater High; Adam Yurgionas, Fayette County High; Brandon Kunz, McIntosh High; and Ashley Maddox, Whitewater High.

In addition to hearing from both the assistant general manager and director of marketing of AMS, teachers participated in activities that were designed specifically to help them teach a number of the state-mandated Georgia Performance Standards in economics.

These activities included a lesson on the economic impact of AMS and NASCAR on the state and local economy, the supply/demand and pricing of NASCAR tickets, and an examination of specialization and productivity found within NASCAR race teams.

A team of four Fayette County teachers participating in the workshop won a competition involving specialization. The winning team members were David Brown, Whitewater High; Brandon Kunz, McIntosh High; Ashley Maddox, Whitewater High; and Adam Yurgionas, Fayette County High.