Pair Of Eastern Tech Students Geared Up For National Auto Competition

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Summer may be soon, but a pair of Eastern Tech High students are hitting the books--with their head under the hood.

Christie Ileto explains the duo is representing Maryland in the Ford-AAA Auto Skills National Competition.

A two-student team and 90 minutes to diagnose a series of bugs placed in a car.

Eastern Tech seniors Anthony Critcher and Brik Wisniewski are getting ready to race to repair a car at the Ford-AAA Auto Skills National Competition in Michigan next Tuesday.

"We've just been trying to learn everything about the car that we have. We don't want to miss anything in the nationals. We just got to go over it with a fine tooth comb and find every possible bug they could do in the car," said Wisniewski.

The duo has clocked more than 300 hours after school preparing for nationals, practicing on an identical car that will be used in the competition.

"We set them up with a vehicle and they come to my shop and they work on it up there," said Bill Crumbley.

So they can constantly run drills.

"The hardest thing to do is to try not to pass over the easy stuff," Wisniewski said.

This isn't the school's first time going to the national championships. They've won six national championships in nine years, garnering two second place wins and one third place win.

"This allows us the opportunity to recognize and promote those students in Maryland, specifically for this competition, that are going to be working on cars in the future."

As for the big day:

"We're going to try our hardest to get it and bring it back to Maryland for the first time ever," said Wisniewski.

And add a national championship trophy to the school's growing state accolades.

The competition is next Tuesday. Prizes include scholarships toward school and new equipment, and to shadow a NASCAR race team.