PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A group of STEM students in Palm Beach County is flying high after winning a national solar car championship in Texas this past weekend.
Their coach reached out to WPTV, excited to celebrate the team's win.
WATCH BELOW: Palm Beach County students win Solar Car Challenge
We listened to students with the Palm Beach County 4H Association TechGarage as they shared their experiences and the obstacles they had to overcome to become champs.
At the student's garage, there's a saying that it's not about the car, it's about the skills you learn along the way, and they're doing just that while also winning championships in the process.
"The students built this car from the ground up," Allen Phipps, the team's coach, said.
The team created a solar-powered car that they put to the test last weekend at the 2025 Solar Car Challenge held at the Texas Motor Speedway.
"It was really a dream. This is our second year, but it's our first year with this car, and it was truly amazing to see how our team can persevere," Emily Herman, the team's co-captain, said.
The team's first obstacle came on Day 1 of testing.
"We broke the front end of the car on the first day of testing, and we had to rebuild the car, and we had to rebuild the front end," Herman said.
After rebuilding the car, the team demonstrated its ability to handle adversity.
"It was really exciting to see the work we put in over the past six months to a year come to fruition and push the car to its limits. It's just an exciting experience," Emma Boudreaux, one of the team's drivers, said.
The students had a full staff similar to an official NASCAR team, complete with drivers, welders and spotters like student Ryan Calixte.
"It was amazing, you can see the whole track and much more. The view was amazing," Calixte said. "You can also see every car on the track. That means you can see where they are and what problems they're having as well."
Despite a wrecked car on Day 1 of racing, the students won the National Championship.
"It was just an amazing experience, and I wish that I could do it again," Calixte said.
Going up against 32 teams across 12 states takes plenty of dedication, but the students said it's more than just hard work and commitment to their craft.
"We spend a lot of time together on this project. It involves a lot of work, so we grow really close together, so it's like a big ole family," Herman said.
