Each year, members of the OK State Racing Team build a race car from scratch and compete in International competitions. But, the past two years, the students have taken it a step further.

"Everybody said-- well, let's do alternative fuel. Everyone else is doing the gasoline thing. Let's do something different," says James Beckstrom, OK State Racing Adviser.

The team took the car they raced in 2008 and converted it to run on Compressed Natural Gas, making it the first of its kind, ever. "We changed the fuel system. We pulled out the old gas tank," says Tarek Kandalaft, president of the team.

Last year, the team broke a world record in a 24-hour endurance event. "These cars typically only go for 14-miles, so for us to take the same car 590-miles is kind of a big step."

But, according to the team, it wasn't big enough. They worked on the car and competed again last week.

"We doubled our horsepower," says Kandalaft.

"We had five guys that cycled in, and we usually had them go for an hour-and-a-half to two-hour rotations," says Jacob Biros, CNG Program Project Manager.

Averaging 65-miles-an-hour, the team broke their record, by driving 770-miles in 24-hours. A feat the team is humble about. "We're all a bunch of students, so it's not like any of us are professionals, and we were able to do it just fine," says Kandalaft.

Tools in hand, the students aren't just breaking world records, they're lining their resumes and paving the way for innovation.

"The more Universities we can get to compete, the more innovation they'll drive, and I think it will be a great, great next step for natural gas as a fuel," says Beckstrom.