There is no mistaking his preference. All things considered, Nick Brown wants to pursue a career in NASCAR.

If he had his druthers, he would prefer to be behind the wheel.

But he knows there is more money to be made if he gives up driving to pursue a crew member position, perhaps one day tackling the top spot as a crew chief. So despite winning his first race against the big boys this summer, the Bath, ME resident headed south last week to the heart of race country.

He has parked his car, at least for now, and begun his future educational foray into college at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. His major may be mechanical engineering but it isn’t quite what you might expect.

Because this program is a racing enthusiast’s dream complete with a minor in motorsports engineering.

Racing in His Blood

Maine sportswriter Steve Solloway noted that Nick Brown isn’t “much different from other 18-year-old recent high school graduates who are long on dreams and short on experience.” Of course, like many male teens, he likes to drive fast.

It’s just that he has always channeled that enthusiasm to the race track.

As one might expect, Brown is from a racing family.

“I really got into racing from my dad – he took me to the Saturday night races when I was just a baby,” chuckles Brown. “I really had no choice but to like racing – my dad and my whole family are such huge racing fans.”

“I first started racing when I was 7-years-old,” explains Brown. “I started out racing go-karts at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough.”

In 2000, he won his first race, and in 2001 he added another 2 wins. Then came 2002 where he won a total of 15 times and earned his first points championship. In 2003, he moved on to Maine’s premiere racing location, Oxford Plains Speedway, where his racing skills continuing to develop. Form 2003 through 2006 he would earn four straight track Kart championships.

In 2007, at the age of 16, he left the Kart world for what is called a Legend car, a scaled down version of racing coupes from 70 years ago, and raced at several different tracks in New England in the NELCAR series. In 2008, he took yet another step, racing an ACT legal late model and making the three-eighths mile oval at Oxford Plains his home track.

A Summer to Remember

In his second year racing the late model ACT series, Brown earned his first win. It was a 40-lap race at Oxford and came just one week after he graduated from Morse High School.

According to Brown, there have been another 3 to 4 top 5 finishes and another 6 to 7 top tens. Early in the summer he stood fourth in the cumulative standings and was still in the top five until he took a week off to attend his senior prom.

Those racing performances garnered him a lot of attention, allowing him to compete for a slot in the annual TD Banknorth 250 at the Plains. He was even given a prominent, head table seat at the midweek press conference alongside veteran drivers Ricky Rolfe, Tim Brackett, Glen Luce and Joey Polewarczyk, Jr.

While it was not to be in the cards for this year, it represented a huge step for Brown who did have some prior experience with the race. It was just three years ago that Brown got a taste of big time pit duties. He was a crew member for Whorff Motorsports and was part of the team that helped Jeremie Whorff top Kyle Busch for the 2006 TD Banknorth 250 victory.

Tremendous Support

Brown was quick to point out the adults in his life that have been so instrumental in his development as a driver and racing enthusiast. First, he cited his parents, Al, and Tami, particularly when it comes to that major piece of equipment, the car itself.

“My father and mother have always owned and help me maintain my car,” adds Brown. “My father has pretty much been my crew chief from the days of the go-kart until now.”

The college freshman was quick to point out how many others have been helpful to him as well.

“Jaime Magno, Jim Howe, Zach Anderson, Chris McInnes, Mark Green and my brother Ben are always a big help,” notes Brown. “Both at the track and in helping me maintain the car between races.

“And I am fortunate to have a lot of great sponsors: Dunkin’ Donuts, Subway, Servepro, Midcoast Glass and Windows, Jim Magno Builders, Reno Racing and Whorff Motorsports.”

On to UNCC

Maintaining a 3.4 GPA and managing to make the honor roll 15 times in 16 academic quarters at Morse means that Brown also has some other options beyond racing. But he admits racing at times has taken over.

“A few years ago, we had a crisis,” Brown states, referring to his parents view of what had become too big of a focus on cars and racing. “All that I wanted to do was work on race cars but my parents wanted more from me.”

There was talk of entering the engineering field and while not as exciting as racing, Brown recognized his parents were probably right, that getting an education was of utmost importance. Then he learned of the mechanical engineering program at UNCC, a program that offered a motor sports concentration.

“When I saw the program that UNCC offers, an engineering program based around racing, I knew that was the program for me,” explains Brown. “The campus is located in the heart of race country and some of the best crew chiefs in NASCAR have graduated from the program.”

It will be a real test to see if the crisis is in fact abated because Brown has indeed parked his car for now. But in true form, Brown is as Solloway says, long on dreams even if he is short on experience.

“I would really like to race while I am in North Carolina but my financial situation will not allow it,” says Brown with a sigh. “Down the road, I would really like to get onto a short track team or something else here to maybe get my foot in the door for the future.”

With such a viewpoint, it seems Brown should soon be long on experience as well.

There is little doubt that test preparation can affect your SAT exam scores. Students seeking admission to the most selective universities have been known to pay significant sums of money for personal tutorials to ensure they are well-prepared for these all-important tests.

While it is clear that preparation does matter, those with limited budgets simply cannot afford the costs associated with private tutorial services. But those on a budget should not ignore this important test preparation – they just need to seek out the most cost-effective options.

Options to Consider

First, students should gain access to sample tests. These practice exams help students become acquainted with the format of the tests and the styles of questions being asked. Familiarity is a real key to reducing the overall anxiety that comes with taking such important standardized tests.

Students can gain access to one copy of the exam free at the Peterson’s College site. You will need to register and you will be limited to but one sample but it is a great place to start and again the point of emphasis is that the test can be accessed free of charge.

Two of the agencies offering private tutorial options have entered the video game market. Students looking for additional test prep practice options can turn to the Princeton Review for My SAT Coach and to Kaplan Test Prep for the game FutureU.

The games are from two gaming industry giants, Ubisoft and Aspyr. FutureU which is currently available for download to a PC or Mac computer but the My SAT Coach is available only for Ninetendo DS. Both will set the user back about thirty bucks.

A standard, cost-effective option that many students and parents swear by is the College Board’s $19.95 “Official SAT Study Guide.” The reason that most find it the item to purchase is the booklet provides four critical elements.

The guide first offers a basic tutorial on the test-taking process. Second, it contains a math review of the key topics that students can expect to see.

Third, it gives students the chance to practice taking timed tests. Finally, it is similar in format to the real process: it is done without a computer using the traditional pencil and paper format that is a hallmark of the SAT.

Other such options do exist. There is the Princeton Review’s Cracking the SAT, Barron’s SAT 2400, Gruber’s Complete SAT Guide, and Kaplan SAT Premier Program. Each works in a similar manner.

Other Important Considerations

If students find that they are weak in the vocabulary areas, they can turn to another tech option, a new site called VerbaLearn. While there is no attempt to tie the building of vocabulary to the actual style of testing one faces on the SAT, access is free and the site is designed to prepare students for any nationally-normed test (SAT, ACT, and/or GRE). The key to making this site effective is to spend time on vocabulary building then return to the actual sample tests to determine if you have indeed built your fundamental vocabulary to a more appropriate level.

Lastly, there is always the issue of self-motivation. Those with a desire to prepare and an ability to structure their own time will find all of these more cost-effective tools great options to consider.

If on the other hand structure isn’t your strongest suit and procrastination an issue, you may well want to consider the test-preparation classes and their related-tutorials. The only issue to remember is that this latter option is the most expensive way to go.

One of the more highly-touted college education savings plans is the 529, so named after Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code. Designed to help families set aside funds for future college costs, 529 Plans can be utilized to pay the costs at qualified colleges all across the nation.

However, when it comes to specific 529 plan options, investors must realize that not all plans are getting the job done.

Popular Saving Option

In recent years, the 529 college savings plan has been growing in popularity. One key element of 529 plans is that they are not state specific. In most cases, students can live in one state, use a 529 plan from another state for investment purposes and then choose to attend school in some third state.

Plans can differ state by state so it is important that investors do their homework. While dollars that go in are taxable at the federal level, all earnings are free of future tax liabilities. In addition, some states offer tax breaks on some of the ingoing dollars.

Complicating the concept however are two distinct forms of 529 plans. Savings plans which work very much like a 401K or IRA. Such a plan will offer various investment options to the investor.
Prepaid plans allow students to pre-pay all or some of the costs of an in-state public college education. These plans can later be converted for use at private and out-of-state colleges.

Critical Data

Since funds are available in every state yet vary from state to state, it is imperative that students and parents research the various options available. Morningstar.com is a site that independently evaluates 529 plans and publishes their findings publicly every year.

Given the impact of the recent economic downturn on everyone’s investments, it is easy to see why the selection of a particular plan is extremely critical. Morningstar thoroughly analyzes plans, focusing on asset-allocation, fees, flexibility, and the overall quality of the underlying investments.

Within those categories, one of particular note involves fund flexibility based on the prospective student’s age. Such options are critical for investors to adjust risk tolerances based on when the money would be needed.

The recent economic downturn hammered home the point that mutual fund investments are volatile. Plans that did not allow investors options to reduce risk and lock in earnings as the student neared college age were particularly problematic in the recent downturn.

Five Best and Five Worst

Remembering that one can likely invest in any state (though specific state tax benefits are available only for residents), the top five plans according to Morningstar are:

• Ohio CollegeAdvantage 529 Savings Plan;
• Indiana CollegeChoice 529 Direct Savings Plan;
• The Utah Educational Savings Plan Trust;
• Virginia Education Savings Trust;
• Virginia CollegeAmerica 529 Savings Plan.

For those who like strong track records, the Utah plan has long been a favorite of Morningstar while the two Virginia plans were also on the top performer list of a year ago.

On the poor performer side:

• Nebraska State Farm College Savings Plan;
• New Jersey Best 529 College Savings Plan;
• Montana Pacific Life Funds 529;
• Ohio Putnam CollegeAdvantage;
• Nebraska AIM College Savings Plan.

Again, for those who consider the most important item to be a fund’s ongoing-track record, the public should really think twice about Ohio Putnam CollegeAdvantage and Nebraska AIM College Savings Plan. Both are holdovers from last year’s worst performers (though praise is given for changes in the Ohio Putnam plan).

Other Funds

For those wanting to research the funds within their home state, a 529 Plans link is available. Just remember to think through your home state’s plan, particularly if it offers in-state income tax deductions, matching grants or other benefits for state residents. These factors can truly tip the scales towards selecting a solid in-state option over a high-ranked out-of-state plan.

And for more info on saving for college, info that includes saving options in addition to 529 plans, try this Morningstar “Guide to College Savings.”