UC grad and Honda employee helps race team win Indy 500

UC graduate JP Suozzi, left, celebrates with Indianapolis 500 winner Felix Rosenqvist at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Photo/Caroline Dame

His team erupted in cheers May 24 when Rosenqvist crossed under the checkered flag 0.023 seconds faster than second-place finisher David Malukas to secure the closest win ever in the race's 110th running.

"We just exploded," Suozzi said. "Everyone is cheering, running around hugging each other. They call it the greatest spectacle in racing and it really is."

UC has several connections to Honda. The company is a major co-op employer for students in UC's College of Engineering and Applied Science. Honda purchased a $4 billion electric vehicle battery plant midway between Cincinnati and Columbus. And the international company's largest engine plant is located near Cincinnati off I-75 in Anna, Ohio.

UC Professor Munir Nazzal recently completed a pilot project with Honda and the Ohio Department of Transportation to demonstrate that the sensors in autonomous vehicles could do double duty to help public works crews quickly identify potholes and other road hazards.

Suozzi grew up outside Columbus in the city of Powell, Ohio. He was trackside monitoring the car's engine for the race and helped the team celebrate the win. Per tradition, Rosenqvist toasted and doused himself with a quart of milk. And Suozzi joined the team in kissing the thin strip of bricks on the track, a remnant of the original surface that gives the course its nickname, the Brickyard.

Suozzi joined the team in 2023 through UC co-op

UC engineering graduate JP Suozzi prepares to "kiss the bricks" per tradition after helping his team win the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The strip of bricks are a remnant of the track's former surface that gave it the nickname the Brickyard. Photo/Caroline Dame

Suozzi worked five co-op rotations at American Honda Motor Co., beginning in test engineering.

But what he really wanted to do was join its racing division, so he inquired about any co-ops available for trackside engineers. And the company ended up creating one for him. After five co-op rotations at Honda and earning a bachelor's degree at UC, he was hired by Honda Racing full time last year and spent weekends traveling to races while he finished his UC master's degree in mechanical engineering. He graduated in December.

His role has taken him to cities across the United States and Canada. It's a job that benefits from a level head when a problem arises, he said.

"It's important to take a breath and analyze the situation. It doesn't help anyone to panic and it slows you down," he said.

Last year, he missed just one race - to attend UC's commencement. He earned both bachelor''s and master''s degrees through UC's Accelerated Engineering Degree or ACCEND program. It provides qualified students the opportunity to earn an undergraduate degree and a graduate degree in an accelerated time frame. Students complete both degrees in a shorter time frame than the traditional path so they can enter the workforce with qualifications that distinguish them from their peers, or they can enter a doctoral program more quickly than is possible through the traditional path.

After graduating, Honda offered him a full-time job with the company. Thanks to UC co-op, his career is off to a fast start, he said.

"I'll have four years of experience at age 24. That's huge in this industry, just to get your foot in the door," he said. "I'm very fortunate to be where I am at my age."

UC defines cooperative education, or co-op, as meaningful, career-oriented, compensated workplace experiences. Co-op is a structured program where students complete academic coursework and get a paid job in their field of study, graduating with both a degree and real-world professional experience.

Find more info: What is co-op in college? How cooperative education works

Many UC co-ops are paid, full-time roles. Students often use co-op earnings to help cover tuition and living expenses, which can reduce the need for loans and improve the overall return on investment of their degree.

Learn more: How cooperative education and paid experience change the ROI equation

Co-op is deeply integrated into programs in engineering, design, information technology, business, arts, sciences and more, with support from the College of Cooperative Education and Professional Studies. UC is committed to offering all students career-building, real-world experiences related to their field.

UC students co-op in Cincinnati, across Ohio, throughout the U.S. and abroad with employers ranging from startups, design studios and nonprofits to hospitals, government agencies and Fortune 500 companies.

By graduation, many Bearcats have up to 1.5 years of career-related experience, strong resumes and professional networks. A significant number receive full-time job offers from their co-op employers, which is why the University of Cincinnati is widely recognized as the global founder of cooperative education and a national leader in co-ops and internships.