Nine-time Grand National
Champion Scott Parker, Boswell’s
Harley-Davidson’s Bubba Boswell,
Sons of Speed founder Billy
Lane, and AMA Pro Racing CEO
Gene Crouch join students and
partners to kick off the Legends
Build: Student Challenge
presented by Northern Tool +
Equipment. [Photo:
Northern Tool + Equipment]
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.
(September 23, 2025) -
Today, Northern Tool +
Equipment and American
Flat Track announced
the launch of the Legends
Build: Student Challenge,
a nine-month journey where high
school career & technical
education (CTE) students will
transform a 2025 Harley-Davidson
Nightster into a XR750
inspired motorcycle under the
mentorship of legendary racers
and builders.
Only knowing they’d been
selected for the project, but
not knowing what they’d build,
students were surprised to see
legend Scott Parker ride
in on a XR750 flat track bike,
revealing they’d have 174 days
to build a race-ready version
themselves. This challenge
shines a spotlight on one of
America’s most iconic and
untamed racing traditions:
American Flat Track. It’s fast.
It’s fearless. It’s raw
mechanical mastery on two
wheels.
“We were sure it was going to be
a sprint kart. When they told us
we’d be building a race bike, it
blew our minds. It’s insane,”
said one student builder.
The students won’t be alone on
this build; they will learn
directly from some of the most
respected names in racing and
fabrication: Scott
Parker, Chris
Carr, Kenny
Coolbeth Jr., Billy
Lane and many more!
“The students had their
theories—some of them pretty
wild—and they were all wrong,”
added Jason Bowers, the
CTE teacher leading the
class. “When we saw Scott Parker
ride up on a flat track race
motorcycle, we stood there with
our jaws open. Our brains
started spinning with questions
forming. Now, we’re starting to
realize just how tough this
sport is—and how much the
motorcycle we’re building
matters to a racer’s success.”
To help the students get
started, Northern Tool +
Equipment, along with partners, American
Flat Track, Bubba
Boswell, Boswell’s
Harley-Davidson, DEWALT, Harley-Davidson
Motor Company and Milwaukee have
decked out the school’s shop
class with tens of thousands of
dollars in donated tools,
equipment, parts and safety
gear.
“At Northern Tool, we believe in
putting tools in hands and
confidence in hearts. The
Legends Build is more than a
motorcycle - it’s a
demonstration of how much the
trades matter, that they’re
rewarding and that the next
generation can carry this torch
forward,” said Frank
Crowson, Chief Marketing
Officer, Northern Tool +
Equipment. “I love
everything about this program
and this project, including the
fact that this year the torch
will be carried by our first
female build captain!”
The project is part of a growing
legacy of trades-focused
challenges created by Northern
Tool + Equipment alongside icons
of motorsport and fabrication.
In 2023, Northern Tool partnered
with NASCAR Legend
Richard Petty and Billy
Lane’s Sons
of Speed to
introduce students to the art of
building and racing, bringing
national attention to the
program. This year, that
tradition continues— and
grows—with former NASCAR Racer
Kyle Petty also lending his
support.
“Racing builds
character, but building the bike
builds a future,” said
Kyle Petty, racing legend and
host of the YouTube series
following the students
throughout the build.
Fans, families and future
tradespeople can subscribe to Northern
Tool’s YouTube channel for
monthly updates from the
school’s shop. For the first
time ever, the story will also
be told through the eyes of the
students. Armed with cameras,
they’ll capture the highs, lows,
mistakes, inside jokes and
breakthroughs of the build.
Watch for student-created
updates on social media.
The final bike will be revealed
on June 6th at Tennessee
National Raceway in an
American Flat Track Legends
exhibition race. After the race,
the bike will be auctioned with
the proceeds benefiting the
Tools for the Trades™ program,
Kyle Petty’s Victory Junction
nonprofit and the AMA Motorcycle
Hall of Fame.
