Stars of Discovery Channel’s “Street Outlaws” visit Vincennes University

Awaiting the dynamic duo of “Farmtruck” and “AZN” was a bevy of VU students, faculty, and staff, who were excited to meet the reality stars, check out their prison bus and hearse builds, and to hear about racing, building custom cars, street racing in Oklahoma City, and TV and YouTube life. 

Farmtruck and AZN stopped by the Vincennes Campus on Oct. 1 for a visit with students studying automotive technology, collision repair and refinishing, diesel technology, motorsports, and other transportation technology fields and to share all the possibilities where their future careers can lead. 

“I come from a world of going to a vocational school,” AZN said. “I went to vocational school for bodywork. I went there for automotive repair, performance, diesel, and I went there for graphic design. It’s so important for these students to learn this hands-on. At other universities, you might not get the hands-on, one-on-one experience.” 

He added, “Students have instructors at Vincennes University that care about success. They’re not just churning them out. VU hires instructors based on how much they care about the students, and that is the most important of all this. The students won’t understand that until they are older, but the instructors understand it now, and people like us can see it now. It’s so important that institutions like this exist so the future can exist.” 

AZN and Farmtruck urged students to build cars and vehicles with any available materials and stressed that it doesn’t require a lot of money to create their own projects. 

“It was great to see everybody out here enjoy being around each other and seeing their cars, and sharing a common interest,” VU Automotive Technology major Ethan Pennington of New Palestine, Indiana said. “I used to watch their show a lot with my dad. It was really cool getting to see them in person. I sent pictures to my dad, and he was super stoked that I got to see them in person.” 

Students posed for photographs with the cast members, toured the prison bus and hearse, and were mesmerized by their shiny, souped-up engines. VU College of Technology Dean Ty Freed has worked on several projects for Farmtruck and AZN. The College of Technology is also the Educational Sponsor of Wagler Motorsports Parks located in Lyons, Indiana, where FarmTruck and AZN headed after visiting the Vincennes Campus. “We are so glad to have Jeremy Wagler of Wagler Motorsports Park, Farmtruck, and AZN of “Street Outlaws” visit with us today at the VU Technology Center,” College of Technology Dean Ty Freed said. “We really like to have support from industry folks who are out there doing things that relate to what our students are learning here at the Vincennes University College of Technology. The students had a great time visiting with Farmtruck, Jeremy, and AZN. They learned a lot about where they came from and what it takes to get where they would like to be later in life. I think today they’ll be able to walk away and feel excited about their careers moving forward and are motivated to work hard.” 

Farmtruck and AZN, who are from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, also told the crowd that they now have their own spin-off TV show, which will begin airing soon on the Discovery Channel. “This gives all of us a sense if I really work hard and I really want to do this that this is something I can do, and the possibilities are endless because the people right in front of us have accomplished it,” Pennington said. 

VU offers various degrees and certificates in Transportation Technology, including Automotive, Collision Repair/Refinishing, Motorsports, Diesel, and others.