DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – It was announced that former Bethune-Cookman student-athletes Kendra Cooper and Sophia Ortega have been invited to the National Pit Crew Combine for the NASCAR Diversity Pit Crew program.
 
Following a national talent search, 17 multicultural and female athletes earned invitations to compete in the second national NASCAR Drive For Diversity® (D4D) Crew Member Development Combine today in Concord, North Carolina.
 
Former college football, basketball, softball and track and field athletes will be evaluated based on a series of fitness, agility and pit crew drills at the NASCAR Research & Development Center.
 
Just over a month ago, NASCAR held a Diversity Pit Crew program at several institutions, including Bethune-Cookman University. Cooper, a former four-year letterwinner for women's basketball, joins Ortega, a four-year letterwinner for softball, in being invited to the national combine.
 
The 10 top-performing participants will be invited to join the NASCAR D4D Crew Member Development Program, operated by Rev Racing, and receive expert training as tire changers, carriers and jackmen, with the goal of gaining fulltime employment with NASCAR national series race teams.
 
"As NASCAR Drive for Diversity continues to grow and benefit from national exposure, we're seeing more and more athletes want to be involved," said Jim Cassidy, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations. "This is a great way to introduce top competitors to NASCAR and provide the opportunity to one day shine in our sport's biggest events."
 
Cooper, a native of Spring, Texas, finished her career for the Wildcats women's basketball team this past season, being a repeat performer as a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) all-league selection. In 2015-16, she was a BoxToRow HBCU First Team All-American, as well as a second team all-conference player.
 
As for Ortega, the Citrus Valley High alum from Southern California, finished her playing career for softball with the Maroon and Gold in 2016. She started primarily at the second base position for the Cats, earning her degree in Business Administration. She is currently a graduate assistant working within the BCU Department of Athletics in Marketing and Communications.
 
The two former student-athletes will arrive in Charlotte, North Carolina for the combine on Thursday, May 25, staying through Sunday, May 28.
 
NASCAR D4D also offers a driver development program, operated by Rev Racing, and each year fields six drivers in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. Successful graduates now competing in a national series include NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Larson and NASCAR XFINITY Series drivers Darrell Wallace Jr. and Daniel Suárez.
 
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' Coca-Cola 600 will be broadcast live from Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 28 at 6 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Additional live coverage can be found on NASCAR.com.
 
For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUathletics), Instagram (@BCUathletics), Snapchat (@BCUathletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/BCUathletics).