VALLEY CITY, N.D. -- A team from Valley City claimed the top spot Tuesday at a national student auto repair competition in Dearborn, Mich.
The two-person team of 18-year-old Jonathan Anderson and 17-year-old McKenzie Nordland beat out competitors from all 50 states at the 61st annual Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills finals held on the front lawn of Ford World Headquarters, according to a news release from the competition.
Teams faced off to diagnose and repair mechanical and electrical problems called "bugs" in an assigned vehicle.
The classmates from Sheyenne Valley Area Career and Technology Center were the lone team to earn a perfect car score by flawlessly repairing all dozen bugs in just 61 minutes and 30 seconds without any demerits for poor workmanship.
To earn the national title, the time it took to repair the vehicle was combined with results of a 100-question written exam students took Monday.
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In May, Anderson and Nordland, under the instruction of James McFagden, competed against other North Dakota high school teams to advance to the national championship.
This year's competition awarded a record $11.5 million in scholarships to participants, comprised of more than 10,500 juniors and seniors.
In July winning students will also job-shadow the No. 16 Roush Fenway Racing Conway Freight team leading up to a NASCAR race in Indianapolis.
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