North Greenville University’s car club continues to heat up as the months grow colder
Owen Howley, Contributing Writer
Photo by Owen Howley
While previously a loose grouping of car-loving college students, the group became a tight-knit community of friends.
Three North Greenville University students, Austin Wartman, Sam Long, and Grayson Madden are responsible for the transformation. After realizing the large number of people who like cars on campus, the three were inspired. While Long takes credit for the original idea of starting the club, he notes much brainstorming happened with Madden and it was Wartman who took initiative, creating the group chat and organizing events. The club began in the middle of August 2025.
Wartman described his experience with the club as one of his favorite parts of college. He enjoys planning events for his friends and cruising down to Greenville with the group. Even a simple dinner is heightened by talks of horsepower and rare cars they have seen in the area. This became obvious, as the short, one-on-one interview turned into a four-hour conversation with three other members of the club joining our table.
Club leadership is well reviewed.
“We wanted everyone to have a good time,” says Wartman.
Members are fond of the “openminded” and “involved” leadership present in the developing outfit. Both Wartman and Cummings identify a newfound sense of community present in the club. Though on a Christian campus, Wartman says faith doesn’t come up often, but the club still provides an open door for deeper conversations. Cummings said he is thankful for the feeling of brotherhood in the group.
“Iron sharpens iron, you know?” he said.
Outside the club, the relationships hold up. Kinsey Cummings, a member since late August, mentioned how he drove Wartman to the airport to fly home for fall break. Wartman said he is grateful for the group’s willingness to help out in these ways and when someone needs tools or an extra set of hands. Knowledge is also shared regularly, especially among members with older cars or less mechanical know-how.
The love of vehicles bridges gaps within the group and allowed them to increase from four to 38 members. The mixed bag of cars ranges from 70’s and 80’s American classics to modern Asian imports, while the members hail from California to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Despite a large variety of car types and driver backgrounds, the NGU car club is rolling steadily forward. Cummings calls the shared interest a great common ground. He said he is glad to be a part of car scene that promotes collaboration and comparison instead of competition.
On occasion, they do group washes and detailing at a local self-serve car wash in Travelers Rest. The cheap wash and vacuum keeps the cars and friendships well maintained. This way, even maintenance becomes a community building event.
According to Exotic Motors, car clubs are seeing a comeback. As the internet becomes more and more crowded with outrageous car content, gear heads have developed “social media fatigue”.
Many people miss the connection of non-pretentious, in-person car meets. Additionally, many people are still feeling the isolation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic over five years ago. These enthusiasts have begun to reach out again, joining local clubs and building new communities.
The NGU car club attends weekly car shows in the Greenville area. If you have an interest in joining the club, you can contact club members.
