Racing becomes engrained in one’s blood; we’ve known people over the years who subsist on nothing more than peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for weeks in an attempt to scrounge up enough money to make the next race. For many folks with this level of commitment, it eventually becomes a job in some form or another, and for one such racer–Judson Massingill of SAM Tech–it has become a lifelong passion.

Recently, host Kevin DuBois of the Do It For A Living podcast cornered Massingill to talk about his life, racing history, the school, its purpose, and more. It’s an enlightening conversation as Massingill is an open-book, engaging interview. The hour-plus interview is a wonderful look into the inner workings of SAM Tech and what makes the school tick. He still races today, and uses the racing program as an opportunity to take the students along to the events and teach then what it takes to be successful in that environment.

Massingill, who was given an opportunity to buy into a machine shop years ago, eventually came to the conclusion that it was nearly impossible to find qualified help to staff the machine shop he was operating at the time. At the suggestion of his wife, Linda, Massingill decided to turn his skills into teaching ability, and opened the School of Automotive Machinists in Houston. Today, SAM has morphed into SAM Tech, where Massingill and his staff teaches the next generation of racing engine machinists the skills they’ll need to survive in the real world, with courses on everything from engine machining and assembly techniques to tuning the latest-and-greatest computerized engine management systems.

SAM Tech is one of the few trade schools in the world which offers a true high-performance education, and was recognized as a 2016 School of Excellence by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges, which is a prestigious award earned by less than one percent of the independent post-secondary educational institutions in the United States–only fourteen schools earned the award last year.

Set aside some time and give it a listen–you won’t be sorry!