US Auto Tech National Championship Seeks to Find America’s Top Tech

by Michael Satterfield – 07/15/2021

Good automotive techs can be hard to find, but for the men and women who have dedicated their professional lives to being the very best in automotive repair, there are few accolades. This is where the inaugural US Auto Tech National Championship (USATNC) comes in, this one-of-a-kind competition allows both seasoned professional automotive techs and students to face off in a series of digital and in-person competitions, all leading to the National Championship in Nashville this December.

Qualifying Competitions:

10-day digital Driven to Win Challenge

Starts on 7/14
Starts on 8/10

Mobile Tour Locations

Lima, OH
Chicago, IL
Detroit, MI
Boston, MA
Atlanta, GA
Dallas, TX
Springville, UT

My experience in the automotive world is mainly limited to the restoration industry, growing up fixing

up classic Mustangs and C10s, one of my first jobs was working for an old school mechanic who could

diagnose most issues by sound and smell. But today’s computer-controlled cars are a little more complicated, with multiple ECUs, advanced emissions controls, and hybrid drivetrains, today’s techs

need more than a basic set of hand tools and a long afternoon in the garage. They have to not only

understand the nuts and bolts of the vehicle they are working on but also the hardware and software

components that make modern cars work.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are nearly 800,000 automotive service technicians and mechanics in the USA. These jobs are becoming increasingly more technical and specialized as new technology shifts and advancements in automotive manufacturing and design change how vehicles are serviced and maintained. Even with the sale of electric cars, which require less overall maintenance, the industry is still expecting to see growth. A recent Cox Automotive dealership study showed that 60% of dealerships are planning to increase their number of service technicians in 2021. The USATNC was created as a platform to honor the top professional and student auto technicians in the US and establish the sentiment that the auto technician industry is an excellent career choice. Just imagine how well that would look on your application that you were the top tech in a national competition.

Partners of the competition include 7 Eleven, Garage Gurus, Discount Tire, ServiceTitan, Little Giant, Duluth Trading Co., and the University of Northwestern Ohio, which has an automotive tech program that reaches all the way to the banked turns of NASCAR. The partners behind the USATNC understand the kind of dedication it takes to become a top tech, and thanks to their support this amazing competition is possible.

The competition starts with a series of qualifying rounds, held across the US allowing techs to compete

for regional titles before the top 64 finalists meet at Music City Center in the heart of downtown

Nashville, Tennessee. This December, finalists will compete for their share of over $200,000 in cash and prizes and for the bragging rights of being named the US Auto Tech National Champion.

Individual Prizes:

1st place:

$40,000 for professionals,
$40,000 for student technicians

2nd place:

$20,000 for professionals,
$20,000 for student technicians

3rd place:

$10,000 for professionals,
$10,000 for student technicians

Technicians who are interested in applying can register online by clicking register here below, there is no fee to enter, and the competition is open to all professional and student automotive technicians who

live in the United States.