MONROE, N.C. -- Subjects like algebra, physics, and engineering aren’t exactly thrilling to the average middle school student.

Yet, dozens of Union County 7th and 8th graders actually volunteered to spend a part of their summer learning just those subjects.

The hook is auto racing.

As it turns out, it takes a lot of math and science to make a race car go fast.

“It does not have to be boring; it can be fun. Instead of sitting in a classroom learning algebraic equations, here they’re applying them and they don’t even know it,” said Beth Lingle.

Lingle is the FastTrack Race Challenge Summer Academy program coordinator for Union County Schools.

Her goal is to make learning practical and fun for students.

The day began with a visit from a real race car driver, Shawn Magnum.

He brought out his car, fired it up and let the students poke, prod, ask questions.

“I enjoy doing this. That’s what it’s all about, getting the kids minds turning,” said Magnum.

It wasn’t all show and tell.

After the students got to see a real race car, they were then able to test their skills on a fleet of remote control cars.

They used weights, mechanical adjustments and rear wings to find a scientific balance that would make each of the little cars go as fast as possible while still being able to handle well.

After each modification, students wrote down their results, did some calculating, and continued to improve their experiments; just like real race teams do

“The next time I watch a race it’s going to be cool because I’m going to know what they are talking about when they make adjustments,” said student Dalton Chapman.

The students all worked in small teams and each team competed to make their car the fastest through a figure-eight course—testing speed and maneuverability.

In the end, it seemed like everyone was a winner because there was a lot of smiles, laughter, oohs and ahhs; and oh yea, a lot of math and science.

This summer camp was a first for the Carolinas. The company that put on the course for Union County Schools is called Ten80Education.

They plan to do more of this kind of thing in the Charlotte area if demand is high enough.

If you’d like to learn more about the FastTrack Race Challenge program, you can visit their Web site by clicking here.

For a video and slideshow of the camp, check the sidebar of this article.