When 2025 Drag Illustrated 30 Under 30 honoree Austin Kardules’ name was drawn in the Lincoln Electric drawing during last year’s DI 30 Under 30 press conference at the PRI Show, Kardules couldn’t believe his luck. He’d grown up around talented fabricators and had recently started to explore learning how to weld. The Lincoln Electric prize package – which included a Lincoln Power MIG 220 welder, a Lincoln Welding Gear Ready-Pak, and a five-day course at Lincoln’s Welding School near Cleveland, Ohio, was exactly what Kardules needed to kick-start his education.
Lincoln Electric has supported the DI 30 Under 30 program for the last several years as both a program sponsor and through the giveaway. Each December, one of the 30 Under 30 honorees is picked as the winner through a random drawing on-stage at the 30 Under 30 press conference.
“I believe being a partner of the 30 Under 30 program is a great way to say thank you to all the people selected,” said Lon Damon, Sports Marketing, NHRA/IndyCar, Lincoln Electric. “They’re the future of drag racing and Lincoln Electric wants to be part of that journey.”
Kardules grew up in drag racing. His father, John, had a chassis shop in the ‘80s and continued working on and building cars in their home garage through the 2000s. John got his two boys, Austin and older brother Camron, involved as well through Jr. Dragsters. That evolved into big cars, but it wasn’t necessarily Austin’s on-track experience that earned him a spot on the 30 Under 30 list. He also spent time teaching beginner drivers at Doug Foley’s Drag Racing School, an opportunity that led to selling sponsorships for Foley’s Top Fuel team. Kardules also co-promotes a pair of races at his home track outside Columbus, Ohio.
Earlier this spring, Kardules made the drive up I-71 to the Lincoln Electric Welding Technology & Training Center in Euclid, Ohio. The 130,000-square-foot facility features 150 welding and cutting booths, six robotic welding booths, a virtual reality training lab, a 100-seat auditorium, and extensive seminar and welding classroom space. The Welding School website currently lists 25 different courses.
Kardules enrolled in the Motorsports Basic Materials program, which promises to “enhance your knowledge of current thinking in arc welding safety, processes, instruction, concepts, equipment, and consumables, as well as your welding skills.” The course begins in the classroom, but 70% of the course features hands-on experience in the welding booths.
“I was really excited about this class,” Kardules said. “Sometimes when you have high expectations, it’s hard to meet that, but walking into this facility was incredible. I knew it was in a training facility. I did not expect it to be this massive. The attention to detail outside and inside the facility is incredible. From the moment you walk in, to even in the facility where the welding happens, the cleanliness, the organization, everything is so top tier. You know when you’re coming in here, you’re learning from the best with the best products. It doesn’t get any better than this.”
Over the course of the five-day program, Kardules and his classmates learned about a wide range of equipment, materials, and techniques that typically come into play in the motorsports industry.
“Each day we started in the classroom covering some of the basics, safety, prep work, and setting up the welder based on the materials we would be welding that day,” Kardules said. “Then we went out to do the welding. We learned the differences in the filler metals and their uses and identifying the type of metal, as some can be similar to each other yet require different filler metals and settings when welding. We welded mild steel on day 1, then aluminum the next day, then eventually stainless steel and chromoly. As the week went on, we started learning to weld tubing of various types as well.”
Kardules admits he went into the experience with a lot to learn, but any intimidation quickly went away thanks to the knowledgeable and patient instructors.
“The instructor, Mike [Khalil], knew that I was pretty green in welding and took some extra time to make sure I felt comfortable and understood what I was doing once we got started,” Kardules said. “Being a motorsports materials class, there’s all different types of skill levels, with me being green, and there was even another in this class that teaches high school students how to weld. Mike made sure to spend time with each person, no matter their skill level, to make sure that their time is being used efficiently. He made it very easy and accessible for me to jump right in and kind of feel like I knew what I was doing right from the start.”
Kardules left the school feeling inspired to continue honing his skills as a welder. He also shared his gratitude for the opportunity.
“I learned so much and I feel a lot more confident when it comes to welding,” Kardules said. “I’ve got all the gear I need too. I’m incredibly grateful to Lon Damon, the instructors, and everyone at Lincoln Electric. As fortunate as I’ve been to experience some awesome, unique things, this was one of the coolest experiences I’ve had. I look forward to seeing where this takes me.”
Lincoln Electric currently has availability for its Motorsports Basic Materials classes that start on August 10 and October 19. To learn more or sign up, click here.
This story was originally published on June 10, 2026. 
The post DI 30 Under 30 Honoree Austin Kardules Embraces Opportunity to Attend Lincoln Electric Welding School first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
