Champions will be crowned soon in professional basketball and hockey. And this summer, champions among professional and aspiring automotive technicians will be decided, too.

The U.S. Auto Tech National Championship (USATNC) is back.

Garage Gurus, the training and support platform from Tenneco’s DRiV group, and the University of Northwestern Ohio (UNOH) are once again joining forces to support the event.

Independent marketing agency Intersport announced on Tuesday that both organizations have signed multi-year agreements to be the official partners of the USATNC, continuing their sponsorship from 2021-2022.

According to a news release, the competition offers two ways to enter.

The first path is the virtual “Driven to Win” quiz, where participants can test their total vehicle knowledge. Alternatively, they can participate in one of the three in-person qualifying events.

Those interested in competing in the USATNC can register at www.usatnc.com. The qualifying round is open through July 31.

Finalists will vie for more than $100,000 in cash and prizes at the Elite Trade Championship Series Finals in Tampa, Fla.

“Serving as an Official Technical Advisor for the U.S. Auto Tech National Championship has been a very rewarding project,” said Charles ‘Trey’ Becker, director of business development at UNOH. “It is great to see both student and professional automotive technicians receive the recognition they deserve.

“The University of Northwestern Ohio is excited to continue our support for this great event in 2023 and hope to attract more young men and women to the automotive technologies industry.”

The top 64 professionals and 64 students from the qualifying round will advance to the round of 64, which is a digital quiz taking place from Aug. 1-10. Quiz questions are provided by Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), a certification offered to automotive technicians that demonstrates their expertise and skills in automotive repair and maintenance.

The 16 pros and 16 students with the highest scores will then move on to the round of 16, where they will receive an at-home kit to complete a challenge. Participants must record and submit a video of themselves completing the task and will be judged on time, safety, and accuracy. This round will take place from Aug. 14 through Sept. 1.

The finals will see the top four pros and four students receive an all-expense-paid trip to Tampa. They will receive a VIP prize package with gifts provided by the sponsors.

Each will compete live for their share of $100,000 in cash, along with the prestigious title of U.S. Auto Tech National Champion.

“DRiV and Garage Gurus are proud to be a part of this growing program,” said Rebecca Mahan, executive director of Americas marketing at DRiV. “Since year one, we’ve served as the technical advisors and official parts sponsors which has allowed us to showcase our Gurus knowledge and abilities, as well as our premium product lines. We’re excited to keep watching this competition grow.”