Rooted in humble beginnings, Clemson Tiger Racing club provides students with unique, hands-on experience in the motorsports industry

In August 2023, automotive aficionados Jack Hobbs and Nathan Chang sat down for a meal together in the dining hall. Their casual conversation about the absence of a motorsports club at Clemson soon became a call to action, and the boys quickly recorded their idea on the first thing they could find — a napkin. Two and a half years after its humble origin, the Clemson Tiger Racing club has two functioning race cars and over 100 members across a multitude of roles who compete in intense track events all across the country. 

Clemson Tiger Racing operates with the primary goal of educating students about the art of motorsport racing. There are a variety of roles within the club — including drivers, pit crew and race engineers — which allow students to specialize in areas that interest them and pursue leadership positions within their desired domain. Most notably, members are able to obtain legitimate racing licenses. This gives them the unique opportunity to engage in the thrilling experience of driving a real race car in competition and provides certification that permits a student to race anywhere in the world.

Beyond all objective purposes, Clemson Tiger Racing is a community. Hobbs says, “Nathan and I built Clemson Tiger Racing to be inclusive. Nothing compares to the sense of family we have here.”

The founders of Clemson Tiger Racing are nothing short of passionate about their club and the automotive field as a whole. Hobbs — an electrical engineering major from Atlanta, Georgia — will be pursuing his Ph.D. in automotive engineering beginning in the summer, while Chang — a mechanical engineering graduate from Marietta, Georgia — is a first-year master’s student in automotive engineering. Both have a background in racing, and they sought to share this experience with other students.

“It’s great to learn all of the engineering practices, but students are missing that connection to the motorsports industry, which you can only get through racing,” Hobbs says. “What we tasked ourselves with was creating a program that not only educates students about what racing is, but actually trains them and provides them opportunities to get in a race car, earn a license, and compete in the Collegiate Racing Series.”

The Collegiate Racing Series is a wheel to wheel racing competition between over 40 colleges across the United States. Teams face off in a 10-race season to secure a spot in the championship, where everything will be put on the line in a single race for the ultimate national victory. It is a landmark program in the world of collegiate motorsports, and the original idea can be traced back to none other than Clemson’s own Jack Hobbs, who attributes his success to his involvement with Clemson Tiger Racing.

“The things I’ve learned and the experience I’ve developed through running Clemson Tiger Racing has led me to create a fully fledged company; it has completely uprooted my life in terms of where I see myself in 10 years,” Hobbs says. “I owe it all to the opportunity that Clemson provided me as a student to sit in a dining hall and say, ‘Hey, let’s do this.’” 

The Clemson Tiger Racing club is founded on two core principles — a championship-winning mindset and a legacy-driven attitude. 

“What you do matters, down to the tiniest little bolt you tighten. That could make or break our championship,” says Hobbs. “With everything we do, we try to encourage people to show their best and remind them that they have the opportunity to walk away from here with something that most people in universities can only dream of.”

Hobbs and Chang have had their fair share of memorable experiences during their time in Clemson Tiger Racing. Hobbs fondly remembers the club’s inaugural race — an all female event, with the first race on track being entrusted to then club member Mackenzie Williams. Meanwhile, Chang reflects on the annual Barber Motorsports Park trip in Alabama, describing it with a term that can effectively summarize both students’ Clemson Tiger Racing experience — “one of a kind.”

Looking forward, Chang will be taking over the club as Hobbs takes the bittersweet step into a full-time role with the Collegiate Racing Series. Hobbs believes he is leaving the leadership in good hands, as Chang’s goals encourage enduring growth for the club.

“Bringing up the next generation that can run Clemson Tiger Racing is the ultimate goal here — other than winning, of course,” Chang says. “When Jack and I first started this, we said we wanted to create a legacy. Now, we have a bunch of people asking how to become leaders, and it gives me a sense of pride.”