Richie Parker Speaks at Miller School
What is the difference between confidence and courage? It is not an easy question.
Students were asked to wrestle with it during this year’s Winter Week of Wisdom and Wonder through a talk by guest speaker Richie Parker. Parker’s life and professional career offer a sustained study of both qualities in practice. After graduating from Clemson University with a degree in mechanical engineering, he began his career with NASCAR powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports, working as a chassis and body component designer. During his career, Parker contributed to 112 NASCAR Cup Series wins and nine championships, earning a reputation for technical precision and problem solving at the highest level of the sport.
While overseeing a division at Hendrick Motorsports, Parker also completed an MBA in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Clemson. Balancing graduate school with the demands of professional racing often meant eighteen-hour days, a pace he described to students as grueling but necessary for achieving his goals in academics and professional sport. After seventeen years in professional racing, Parker stepped away from NASCAR to become Chief of Staff for the University of Virginia football program, where he led strategic operations and team development.
Beyond his professional work, Parker has long pursued a passion for classic automobiles. He has restored numerous vintage Chevrolet cars and trucks, applying the same engineering mindset that defined his racing career. His story reached a national audience through an Emmy-winning ESPN feature titled Drive (watch below).
Parker’s life has been shaped by creative problem solving from an early age. As a child, he engineered his own custom bicycle. As an adult, he adapted a 1964 Chevy Impala SS to drive using his feet. These projects, he explained, were practical responses to real constraints—examples of how engineering begins with accepting conditions and working thoughtfully within them.
Following his years in motorsports and athletics administration, Parker transitioned into motivational speaking, founding Embrace Your Drive, a leadership platform focused on accountability, effort, and perspective. He has since spoken to organizations including NASA, Dow Chemical Company, and professional sports teams, encouraging audiences to take ownership of their work and decisions.
At Miller School of Albemarle, Parker urged students to approach challenges with clarity rather than fear and to recognize the strengths they already possess. After addressing the full student body, he met with students in the Engineering Program for a seminar centered on current projects, design thinking, and long-term goals. The conversation returned, once again, to the distinction he posed at the start of the day—and to the idea that confidence is built through action, while courage is required to begin.
Learn more about Richie Parker HERE.