Senior Derrell Edwards of the High Point University men's basketball team spent the summer taking classes and working out at HPU, but added to his experience by working five days a week with Richard Childress Racing in Welcome, N.C. Edwards worked in the shop, practiced pit stops and was there for the day-to-day operations.

Every Monday through Friday over the summer, Edwards reported to RCR at 8 a.m. and worked until 1 p.m. He would then return to campus to attend afternoon classes and evening workouts.

"It was a great opportunity and I want to thank Richard Payne, Richard Childress and the whole RCR team for that," said Edwards. "I got to be around a lot of great people including Kevin Harvick, Austin Dillon, Ty Dillon and Richard Childress himself. The team welcomed me with open arms. It was a great experience working in that high-level atmosphere."

Edwards worked in the shop and helped with pit stop practices, even getting to practice as part of the pit crew. He took care of the tires, learned how to clean the tires, breaks and studs and glued lug nuts.

"The biggest challenge for me was the practices," said Edwards. "It was fast paced and the guys were doing 12-second pit stops for four tires. I was all alone getting the tires ready. It was amazing how fast they would go. They have plays like basketball – things like which way you roll the tires after pulling them off, signals for how much gas they need or how they switch gas cans."

Edwards had the opportunity to practice as the gas man and jack man on pit stops.

"It's a lot harder than it looks on TV," he said.

Edwards even got to drive the cars from the garage to the practice facility – something most NASCAR fans can only dream about.

"I learned how to drive a stick shift while I was in junior college in Texas," said Edwards. "It was actually pretty easy to drive the cars."

The opportunity arose for Edwards when the basketball team visited Richard Childress Racing in the summer of 2012. Edwards kept in touch with Richard Payne, who is team chaplain for RCR and a member of the Panther Club. The two met periodically and Edwards showed his interest. Payne recognized Edwards's leadership abilities and athleticism while attending basketball games.

"I had only seen it on TV," said Edwards. "When we went and I saw the RCR team practicing and how good they needed to be to get to the highest level, I was really interested."

"Being there every day, the work ethic was the most important thing," said Edwards. "Paying attention to everything, doing extra even when they didn't ask me. Once I got a feel for the system I could get things done ahead of time. It was like basketball when you're getting your extra work in even when it's not mandatory. I had to work hard whether they were watching me or not."

Edwards may have several options upon graduation, whether it's professional basketball, pursuing a career in NASCAR or something else.

"Going back to work at RCR is something I'll definitely consider if I have the opportunity," said Edwards. "On my last day, they all said they hoped I'd be back."

Until then, Edwards will be concentrating on earning his degree as well as his senior year on the basketball team. Edwards started every game last season, leading the team in minutes while averaging 5.1 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists.