TULLAHOMA, Tenn. — September 12, 2026 — What began as a record-setting stock car project in Martinsville, Virginia, became something much bigger during the VA250 Car Project’s visit to Middle Tennessee this week.
The 253 MPH VA250 Car Project and students from the University of Virginia’s Virginia Motorsports team spent several days in and around Tullahoma, connecting with engineers, machinists, educators, military families, high school students and the next generation of STEM students.
The visit included Arnold Air Force Base, headquarters of the Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC), the University of Tennessee Space Institute, Tullahoma High School and the Hands-On Science Center.
The experience demonstrated a powerful connection between motorsports and aerospace: test, measure, analyze, improve and test again.
Inside Arnold Air Force Base
The VA250 team was welcomed to Arnold Air Force Base by Don Wheeler, an Air Force Materiel Command Civic Leader representing Arnold AFB and AEDC.
Wheeler helped welcome the group and provided an opportunity for the UVA students to experience the engineering and technical community surrounding one of the nation’s premier aerospace testing organizations.
During their visit, Virginia Motorsports students had the opportunity to interact with professional engineers, machinists and other members of the Arnold community who work every day to advance American aerospace and defense technology.
For students who spend their time designing, fabricating, testing and developing competition vehicles at the University of Virginia, the visit provided an opportunity to see how those same fundamental engineering principles are applied to much larger and more complex systems.
The students also had an opportunity to meet some of the professionals who work at Arnold and see their personal vehicles displayed alongside the VA250 car — creating an unexpected but natural connection between the people who build and test advanced technology and their passion for automobiles.
Arnold Engineering Development Complex provides more than 90 developmental test and evaluation capabilities, including aerodynamic and propulsion wind tunnels, rocket and turbine engine test cells and other specialized test facilities.
Engineering Conversations Continue at the University of Tennessee Space Institute
The VA250 team was also invited to lunch at the University of Tennessee Space Institute (UTSI) in Tullahoma by Dr. John Schmisseur, Associate Dean and Executive Director of UTSI.
Schmisseur, who is also a professor of aerospace engineering, spent time with Joey Arrington and the UVA Motorsports students, discussing engineering, education and the future of aerospace and engineering careers.
The conversation provided an opportunity for Schmisseur and the UTSI team to learn more about the Virginia Motorsports program, the students’ hands-on work and their involvement with the VA250 Car Project.
For the UVA students, it was another opportunity to speak directly with professionals working in aerospace research and engineering and to consider how their education and hands-on experience could translate into future careers.
Schmisseur’s work at UTSI includes a focus on aerospace engineering, hypersonics and defense capabilities, while UTSI is working to strengthen connections between research, students, aerospace and defense industries in Tennessee.
Remembering 9/11 While Looking Toward the Future
On the morning of September 11, the VA250 team and Virginia Motorsports students visited Tullahoma High School, where the students engaged with high school students in a conversation that connected remembrance with the future.
The discussion recognized the significance of September 11 while also encouraging students to think about what comes next — their education, careers and the opportunities available through engineering, technology and STEM.
The UVA students were able to speak from their own experiences about what it is like to pursue engineering at the university level and to work on a complex, hands-on engineering project.
The message was not simply about becoming an engineer.
It was about discovering what is possible when curiosity, education and hands-on experience come together.
From Rockets to Flight
The UVA students were also invited to experience an aviation-focused STEM opportunity, where they were introduced to model aircraft and the principles involved in flight and aerodynamics.
The experience gave the students another opportunity to learn from engineers and aviation enthusiasts and to explore the connection between the principles they use in motorsports engineering and the science involved in flight.
A Wind Tunnel Comes to the Classroom
The visit concluded with an extraordinary STEM experience at the Hands-On Science Center in Tullahoma.
The VA250 Car Project became one of many hands-on learning experiences designed to introduce young people to science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Students were able to participate in activities ranging from building and launching rockets using water and air pressure to exploring engineering concepts through interactive demonstrations.
One of the most memorable demonstrations came from Perikin Enterprises, LLC, which brought a scaled-down wind tunnel and a miniature version of the VA250 car.
Students could observe the model car inside the wind tunnel and make predictions about what would happen as air moved around it.
The demonstration provided a simple, hands-on way to explain a very complex engineering process.
The full-size VA250 car underwent wind-tunnel testing and engineering analysis during its development. That work helped engineers understand the aerodynamic forces acting on the car and make decisions that contributed to its performance.
Ultimately, that process helped produce a car capable of reaching 253 MPH at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it established a new stock car land-speed record.
For the students standing around the miniature wind tunnel in Tullahoma, the lesson was simple:
Engineering isn’t just something you read about. You can see it. You can test it. You can build it. And you can make it go 253 miles per hour.
Building the Next 250 Years
For Joey Arrington, the builder of the VA250 car, the Tennessee visit represented exactly what the project was designed to accomplish.
The car may have been built to go fast, but its purpose has always extended beyond the race track.
The VA250 Car Project was created to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary through American engineering, manufacturing, innovation, education and the people who will build the country’s future.
The visit to Arnold Air Force Base brought that mission into focus.
Virginia Motorsports students were able to see engineers and machinists working on some of America’s most advanced aerospace and defense technologies.
They met university aerospace leaders.
They spoke with high school students.
They interacted with elementary and middle-school students through hands-on STEM activities.
And they saw firsthand that the skills involved in designing a race car — problem solving, physics, aerodynamics, data acquisition, manufacturing, testing and continuous improvement — are the same fundamental skills that can lead to careers in aerospace, defense, automotive engineering, advanced manufacturing and countless other fields.
The 253 MPH record was the achievement. The next generation of engineers is the legacy.
And the VA250 Car Project believes that legacy is just beginning.
About the VA250 Car Project
Built in Martinsville, Virginia, the VA250 Car Project is a national motorsports, engineering and STEM initiative created to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary.
The hand-built VA250 car reached 253 MPH at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in March 2026, establishing a new stock car land-speed record.
The project is now continuing its “253 MPH: Speed Meets Heat Tour — The Road to 270”, with the ultimate goal of returning to Kennedy Space Center to pursue 270 MPH.
253 MPH was the record. 270 MPH is the mission.
