GCU TODAY • 1 9
continue to climb the IndyCar ladder system,
which functions much like Major League
Baseball’s farm system. He will compete in
nearly 30 races this year, including the Protyre
Formula Renault in England and Formula Car
Challenge Pro Mazda on the West Coast.
GCU’s online degree program allowed Fischer
to chase his dream of building toward a spot on
the IndyCar circuit, and his courses help him
manage the business side of his racing career.
“With online (courses), it doesn’t matter where
I’m at,” said Fischer, who won three Formula
Mazda racing championships in 2013 and set
three California track records.
“I can study or do homework or read at the
track or on an airplane or at the hotel,” he said. “It
allows me to be flexible, which is what I need.”
Fischer’s decision to pursue a college degree
puts him in the minority in auto racing. Many
drivers enter the sport at a young age. In
NASCAR, many never attend college.
GCU’s Dean of Students Pastor Tim Griffin
worked in motor sports for 11 years, serving as
the NASCAR Sprint Cup chaplain for six years.
Griffin remembered very few drivers with college
degrees and believes less than 10 percent of
current drivers have a diploma.
Michael McDowell, 29, is one of many
NASCAR drivers who didn’t attend college.
McDowell was homeschooled in Glendale,
Ariz., and excelled at racing at an early age,
prompting him to forgo college to start his career.
He knows only a few drivers with degrees, and
he is considering pursuing an online degree in
Christian ministry.
“When you’re 18-19 years old and you have
the opportunity to race, it’s hard to decide to
go to school, so it goes to the back burner,”
said McDowell, who began his NASCAR
career in 2007.
“When you’re older, around 30, and you’re
further into your career, you realize how
much you wish you had an education to fall
back on,” he said.
A few drivers have broken the mold.
NASCAR’s Ryan Newman earned a
bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from
Purdue University. The late Alan Kulwicki was
the first college graduate to win a NASCAR
championship. Current drivers Kurt Busch
and Carl Edwards, among a few others, briefly
attended college.
It appears that Fischer is on the education
fast track.
“It’s all a part of being a race car driver in
this day and age,” Fischer said. “You have to be
talented and a hard worker, but you also have to
be business savvy because you essentially have to
raise money for yourself.”
He credits GCU for allowing him to continue
chasing his dream. Skipping college was never
an option.
His father, Stephen Fischer, earned a master
of business administration degree from the
University of Oregon and made college education
an emphasis for his son.
“I told (T.J.) he was going to college to get
a degree, and if that meant he couldn’t drive
a car for the next three years – which would
essentially end his career – then that was going
to happen,” said Stephen, who also raced go-
karts competitively.
The elder Fischer evaluated each college his
son considered while making the decision to
leave PLU, searching for what he considered
a quality academic university. He said the
involvement of successful entrepreneurs in GCU’s
Ken Blanchard College of Business, including
pro sports magnate Jerry Colangelo, was an
indication of the University’s focus on academic
innovation.
“Having (T.J.) enroll at GCU has been one of
the great decisions he’s made for his lifestyle,”
Stephen Fischer said.
“Everything GCU promotes about being
an excellent online school, providing a quality
education, having good professors and doing it
on your own schedule is so true,” he said. “T.J. is
the perfect example of the type of person GCU is
trying to reach.”
COOPER NELSON
Fischer will travel between the United Kingdom and the
West Coast to compete in more than 10 races through
the end of September.
photo by jakob ebrey
Race Series
Takes Fischer
Across the Pond
T.J. Fischer traveled to the United
Kingdom in early March to begin
track tests for the 2014 Protyre
Formula Renault Championship.
The Formula Renault series
bridges the gap between karting
and Formula Car racing and is
recognized as one of the U.K.’s top
open-wheel racing circuits.
The series serves as a key rung on
the ladder toward the FIA Formula
One World Championship for young
drivers, like Fischer. In recent years,
it has earned prestige as one of the
top circuits for racers driving for a
chance at an IndyCar career.
Racing in the Protyre Formula
Renault Championshipwill be a new
experience for Fischer and pits him
against some of Europe’s top young
drivers. Fischer will drive for the Cliff
Dempsey Racing team, which has
wonmore than 20 championships
since its start in 1989. The Formula
Renault spans 14 races spread over
six weekends at six tracks across
the U.K.
Fans can follow Fischer on
Twitter a
or on
Facebook at
