February 21, 2001
Spectacular show and tell
Sarah Schaub brings in race car for Vocational Education week
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
With visions of being the first female NASCAR driver dancing in her head, Sarah Schaub of Elmwood Township is steadily climbing the ladder to racing success.
Just 17 years old, Schaub has been racing for five years and has moved quickly through the ranks. In April, she will start her second season driving a three-quarter scale NASCAR in the Allison Legacy Race Series. Competing against drivers up to twice her age in races around the Midwest, Schaub's natural talent and poise keep her on track while taking curves at 120 miles per hour on the one-half mile course.
"To drive these cars, you have to have the physical strength, quickness, reaction times," said Schaub, a senior studying Early Childhood Education at the Career Tech Center. "You also have to talk to yourself to have the courage to do it, to take curves at that speed."
Last Thursday during Vocational Education Week, Schaub brought her car to school, providing a unique show and tell for her fellow students. Parking it in the Small Engine Repair room, she had a captive audience for the day as students from a variety of programs came to admire the car and check out its racing features.
Her father, Jim Schaub, is a former NASCAR racer, as were her uncles. Jim Schaub, who owns the car and is her crew chief, helped her trailer it in to school for the day. They spent the day discussing all aspects of racing and equipment with eager students, including her fireproof gear, souped up engine and racing cockpit.
"The car has a five-point harness and a special headrest to prevent neck injuries," she noted.
Schaub began her racing career in a go-cart when she was 13. She won the first race she ever entered and realized then that she had a knack for it. Each year, she zooms through the stages as her driving skills improve. Despite her late start as a driver, she is quickly making up for lost time.
"A lot of people start racing when they are really, really young," Schaub said. "Unfortunately, I did not get started until I was 13 so I have to catch up."
Schaub's car was a perfect vehicle to demonstrate a variety of academic concepts, noted Tom Tarr, an instructor in the small engines program. Tarr invited Schaub in for the day and students ended up getting lessons in geometry, physics, science and math just from hearing about her racing experiences.
"We are integrating academics into the program," Tarr said.
Schaub was not the only one putting on a show last week at the Career Tech Center. During Vocational Education Week last week, staff, students and administrators all put their best foot forward so students could show their friends and families what they are studying in their chosen career field. The school held an Open House on Tuesday evening, hosted by students who displayed their projects and served as tour guides.
In addition, many prospective students from the 19 area high schools in the Intermediate School District came to check things out. In all, an estimated 800 visitors came to the school last week to see what the Career Tech Center's programs are all about.
"The week went well," said Dean Shipman, principal of the school. "This is for our students to bring their families in and do a little show and tell and also we invite all the parents and sophomores in the five-county area to come."
"It is always a fun night and a fun week."