In 2013, the Jim Murray Memorial Foundation established the inaugural $5,000 JMMF/Auto Racing Scholarship Award funded by auto racing giants Mario Andretti, Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, Danny Sullivan, All American Racers, Inc., Steve Earwood, president of Rockingham Dragway, Dan Luginbuhl, retired Penski Corp. VP of Communications, Greg Penske, chairman & CEO of Penske Motor Group, and the Auto Club Speedway. Logan Ulrich was selected by the JMMF Board of Directors to receive this year's scholarship based on his North Carolina roots and proximity to the NASCAR HALL OF FAME & Museum, Charlotte Motor Speedway and Rockingham Speedway.
Logan is a rising senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is majoring in journalism with a focus on reporting and is on track to graduate in May of 2017. For the past three years, he’s worked at The Daily Tar Heel – UNC’s student-run newspaper – including as an assistant sports editor this past year, where he helped cover the football team’s run to the ACC Championship and the basketball team’s run to the national title game. This year he’ll continue on as a senior writer at the DTH as well as intern with the Raleigh News and Observer, covering UNC sports. From Troutman, NC, Logan is the son of Tim and Paula Ulrich and is the oldest of three siblings, sister Rebecca and brother Micah Ulrich. On Aug. 14, 2016, Logan married Amanda Elaine Haney. After graduation next spring, he will be looking for any place that will let him tell stories for a living.
Scholarships are crucial as tuition is on the rise. The JMMF's mission to fund five journalism scholarship winners each year through a national essay competition allows them to find the crème de la crème of young writers at universities across the country. The JMMF/Auto Racing Scholarship provides funding for one of these scholarships.
The five 2016 Murray Scholars from University of Kansas, Northwestern University, Penn State University, St. Bonaventure University and UNC @Chapel Hill will be honored at Santa Anita Park on Oct. 29 during the JMMF’s “Day at the Races/Monte Carlo Night” event.