NASCAR and Jimmie Johnson - The Winning Formula

The NASCAR Banking 500 was a time for change and a time for stability. At a time when Bank of America is under siege, the branding of NASCAR is taking some shifts. Not only was this a race which "political correctness" forced the changing of the race sponsorship, it was the last race for this track to be called "Lowes Motor Speedway".

So in the end the stability of the sport is coming from its drivers and specifically the race team of Hendrick Motorsports. Just as the NY Yankees has built is October dynasty, Jimmie Johnson, taking winning the qualifying, the practice sessions and then the race is a testament to hard work and team work and some deep pockets. Deep pockets don't win races, just as deep pockets don't always win you a world series, but it helps.

On this cold autumn evening, when the fans were bundled in blankets, Jimmie Johnson, blazed to his victory, warming the hearts of his fans and owner Rick Hendrick. This was a time to learn about setting goals when you are #1 and to continue to work hard to improve. Chad Knaus, crew chief, confidante and coach, said "You have to establish goals and push to the next. When you reach that goal move to the next goal." He had set high expectations for himself and for his team.

Battling his teammate, Jeff Gordon toward the end of the race, was one of the interesting parts of the race. Gordon had dominated Lowes Motor Speedway for a few years and to watch Johnson, battle and hold him off at the end was a punctuation mark that this in deed looks like Johnson's legacy and perhaps the year where talk turns to his future in the new NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Racing is about balance. Balancing the short run and the long run. Keeping momentum and stamina. Knowing others are gunning for you. One of the young gunners in the race was 19 year old Joey Logano, who finished 5th, battling Jeff Gordon in the closing laps. Logano said about racing Gordon "That was really cool....It was fun, I had a blast". Logano's top five finish in this race may set the tone for the next wave of young guns.

So the sport and sponsors are looking for the next great thing. You have smart articulate drivers leading the sport. Jimmie Johnson is a winner and Lowe's investment in his car shows its commitment to NASCAR, even as it had a crowning achievement of the Lowes car winning at the last night at Lowes Motor Speedway. Being witness to the Jimmie Johnson win is part of the legacy being built for the sport, Hendrick and the speedway. NASCAR and its drivers have the winning formula for the future.

LinktoMotorsports - Lori Banks, Founding Member

Lori Banks is one of the founding members on LinktoMotorsports. Lori is a devoted NASCAR and Indy fan. She grew up in a family that raced. Today she travels to many of the races with the Woods Brothers team. Lori can be found in the center of many of the events for NASCAR and was our first LinktoMotorsports ambassador at the Daytona 500 race.

LinktoMotorsports is approaching its one year birthday and now has over 1,000 members who are professionals in motorsports from around the world. MediaMensch is building this network and plans to have events at races around the world hosted by our members.

Currently you can find our members collaborating and sharing business ideas on the social network, LinkedIn.



Lori Banks captured on our Flip HD camera at the Coca Cola 600 in May 2009.

David Reutimann - Coca Cola 600 Winner

Photo: David Reutimann, Winner of the 2009 Coca Cola 500
(photo by: MediaMensch Networks/Andrew Kaplan, all rights reserved)


During a two day, rain soaked, rain delayed race, David Reutimann was the winner of the Coca Cola 600. He stayed out in the rain for hours. Here he is sitting on the ground against his car during the last rain delay.
The Coca Cola 600 was stopped due to rain at the 227 lap and he became the winner. This was his first win in the Sprint Cup.

Coca Cola 600 - Red, White and Brands

NASCAR is all about its fans and it is also about about its brands. The sport runs on brands from Office Depot to Coca Cola to M & M's. If you are around Lowes Motor Speedway for the Coca Cola 600, scan around and count the number of brands you see.

The brands are an integral part of the sport. The week between the Sprint All-Star race and the Coca Cola 600 is Food Lion Speed Street. It is estimated that 400,000 fans will descend on Charlotte this weekend to visit the festival featuring a way to meet drivers, sample new products, and interact with the brands.

Even in the media center, the other day, I walked out with a box of Hamburger Helper and Cheerios. As you watch the race, you will see Toyota is now a major part of the sport. Their logo and brand is on the inside walls of the racetrack. Even some of the pace cars are Toyota Hybrids and the trucks that clean the track are Toyota Tundras.

Showing the success of branding this weekend up front is Coca Cola. This is their race weekend. At the track on Friday was a one quarter mile grill serving hot dogs and hamburgers to thousands of fans. They had a large stage with interviews of Coca Cola drivers (they sponsor 14 drivers). Even hall of fame driver, Bobby Allison made an appearance.

Coca Cola in the past would bring in the American Idols to perform this week at Speed Street or at the race. This year they decided to bring in the winner of Dancing with the Stars. Well, sometimes brands hit home runs or in this case they won "Gold". Olympic Gymnast, Shawn Johnson. will be swept up into the world of racing and NASCAR as the Honorary Marshall of the Coca Cola 600. This is about as All-American as you can be.

The 50th running of the Coca Cola 600 will be all about the Red White and Blue on Memorial day weekend, plus the Red and White Brands of Coca Cola, Office Depot and Toyota. Tune in at 5 pm EDT on Fox TV on Sunday, May 24th.. Before they say "Racers start your engines", let's say, "Viewers Watch Your Brands".

Burnouts, Speed and Ingenuity

Speed Channel's PASSTIME show taped 10 episodes over two days at the Zmax Dragway in Concord, NC. It is a show in which vehicles from Motorcyles, SUV's to Volkswagens are entered. There were 2 celebrity contestants go against the "house" Ken Herring. They have to guess the times of the vehicles based upon the descriptions of work done to these cars. Then the cars power down a 1/4 mile dragstrip.

Celebrity NASCAR drivers and crew chiefs, made up most of the contestants. Some of the most interesting cars included a corn-fed ethanol vehicle to two super motorcycle racers who were fearless going down the track accelerating to over 100+ mph. What you take away from the show is how much different each vehicle was from each other and the appreciation of the amount of time the owners took to develop these as the morphed into racing vehicles.

I had a chance to meet the host of the show Brett Wagner and speak to the producer, Ray Eddings. These episodes are expected to air starting on Speed channel in July.

Tony Stewart Wins Sprint All Star Race

Winner Tony Stewart and his teammates in victory lane at the 2009 Sprint All Star Race Tony Stewart took the lead with only 2 laps to go in the race. He held on against Ryan Newman. This was the first and special win for his new team at Stewart-Haas racing. Tony Stewart brought home a $1 million dollar check. Tony Stewart said "No check that you can write can take the place of winning for my teammates. For many this is the first time they had ever experienced winning." There were lots of tears of joy and pats on the back. Stewart placed a lot of the success tonight on his crew chief Darian Grubb who he said made some very complex adjustments to the car just before the final 10 laps. He also credited Grubb with building a great team at Stewart-Haas racing.

(photo property of Andrew Kaplan/MediaMensch Networks)

Sprint All-Star Driver pictures from Garage Area

Dale Earnhardt, Jr (top), Carl Edwards (middle), Tony Stewart (bottom) talking to the media on Friday before the Sprint Millon Dollar All-Star Challenge at Lowes Motor Speedway.

(Photos property of Media Mensch Networks/Andrew Kaplan, LinktoMotorsports, LinktoCharlotte) All Rights Reserved.

Sprint All Star Race and Media Celebrities

NASCAR is building up to the Coca Cola 600 on memorial day weekend, with its Sprint All-Star Race for a million dollars. The top drivers will compete in a final segment which will have only 10 laps for this million dollar prize. Driver Kasey Kahne compared it to driving the way they did when he first started racing as a youth.

The All-Star race is special this year as it is in its 25th running. Celebrities such as Kevin Costner and America's Most Wanted John Walsh are here to participate. Country Duo Montgomery Gentry will be the featured artists at the race.

This is one of the most fun days for NASCAR drivers. Many of the drivers live and work near Lowes Motor Speedway in Concord, NC and have a chance to drive in front of family and friends.

Coca Cola, Speedway Motorsports and NASCAR - Fan Friendly

In these economic times, companies such as Coca Cola, Speedway Motorsports and NASCAR are teaming up more than ever to focus on their core customer, the dedicated race fan. (Top photo of Driver Jeff Burton and Coca Cola Executive)

Over the past few months, Lowes Motor Speedway, the site of the 50th Anniversary of the Coca Cola 600 and the annual million dollar Sprint All Star Race have continued to make fan friendly announcements

Here are some of the things that are being offered to the fans. Some lucky fans are invited to watch the press conferences with the media. For fans attending the race this year Coca Cola unveiled a BBQ event where they are building a 1/4 mile grill in the shape of an oval and inviting any fans with tickets to come to a free BBQ on the friday before the race weekend. Celebrity Chef, Tyler Florence, will be there leading 100 chefs. Imagine inviting 100,000+ people to a BBQ..hats off to Coca Cola and LMS. (Bottom Photo of NASCAR champion driver Jeff Burton serving up hot dog to MediaMensch executive, Andrew Kaplan)

Another change around the economy was Lowes Motor Speedway's creation of a 99 cent value menu. The idea is to make it affordable for the race fans who travel from long distances to still be able to afford the race. This is a critical time for NASCAR and racing. The message is clear and coming down from the leadership of the sport.

So in these economic times, remember who is your customer, who is loyal to you. Loyalty will be the one thing you can count on. It works both ways and the fans can see and feel it. So, Race fans "Start your engines" and head to Charlotte and Lowes MotorSpeedway for the Coca Cola 600 BBQ.

My Journey in NASCAR

This is a story of exploration and re-invention...for those of you who are seeking a new path in your life journey..this is an example of how small steps and a long term vision can mean success. This story is about enjoying the journey.

A couple of years ago, a client and friend, Sean Owens, moved from the Charlotte Knights AAA baseball team over to head up a new area of group sales at Lowes Motor Speedway. He came into the position with with a small team and limited budget. His group decided to have a booth down at the big party that happens the week of the All Star Race and the Coca Cola 600 called "Speed Street". The main issue for him at the time, was that he needed to be at the track at night for the races and needed someone who could manage the booth at Speed Street at night. I told him it would be a great opportunity for me to learn from a "grassroots" level about marketing and NASCAR., so for a few late afternoons into the evening I ran their booth where they were giving away free tickets to the Fall race. I met hundreds of race fans from around the country and saw first hand how loyal they were to the sport. Many made this as their annual Memorial day trek.
With my marketing "eyes" I also had a chance to meet and hang out with some of the workers from sports marketing companies and large NASCAR "brands".

When the fall races came along, there was no Speed Street so Sean recommended that I be a concierge at the Suite level. This again gave me a view of the sport working as the person who was in charge of making sure about 8 to 10 corporate suites were set up properly and people were taken care of . I had the opportunity to work with suites from 3M, Bank of America, Carquest, Rusty Wallace Family, and a few others. I worked on Pole Night, the Busch Races, the All Star Race and the Coca Cola. They were long days, but invaluable in terms of seeing a different type of fan and business experience. I also had the opportunity to talk to the branding and marketing executives at many of these companies. One of other experience was meeting the Australian contingent and tv crew who came last year to cheer on their fellow countryman and NASCAR driver, Marcus Ambrose.

The next year for the races, Sean was put in charge of the corporate dining club at Lowes Motors Speedway, called "The Speedway Club". The Speedway Club members were people who came to Lowes on a regular basis. There was also a group of fans who purchased ticket packages which included dinner at the club plus "Pit Tours". There was an RV just outside the track for the Speedway club members to put their coolers, coats, etc. and part of my job was to just check them in and out "a glorified coatchecker". Again a different fan experience was seen. I had a chance to go out on the Pit Tours and walk around to see how the cars were inspected and to see how the Pit Crews were preparing for the race.

Last fall, I had been blogging on MediaMensch for over a year and asked if I could be put on the media list. I got accepted and soon started to go to some of the preliminary press conferences and local events leading up to the race. The new $80-zMax Dragway was also being build and opened at that time, so I had a chance to learn not only about NASCAR, but about NHRA drag racing. When the fall, Bank of America races came around, I was accepted for media credentials and had a chance to be part of the media which included national media such as ESPN, Fox Sports, XM radio and Sports Illustrated. It was a large learning curve to see how all the film crews went out to shoot segments, how the ESPN group updated their website content during the race including video clips.

Now that it is really the 3rd year around NASCAR, this year I see opportunities as a blogger and social media advisor to really participate more fully. The sport has really grown on me with the combination of marketing, technology, automotive, and entertainment. One thing I have seen at Lowes Motor Speedway is that the management team is dedicated to make this the most "fan-friendly" major league sport. The Speedway Motorsports team really puts on a first class event for the 200,000 fans who come from all over the world to watch the race.

I will have an eye open this year to see which teams and drivers and sponsors use Facebook, Twitter and other social media tools to promote their brands.

Bank of America 500 - Jeff Burton - a Racing "mensch"

The Bank of America 500 was won by a 41 year old racing "mensch" named Jeff Burton. Jeff held off some of the top drivers in the field like Kasey Kahne and Jimmy Johnson and battled for the lead of this race. At the press conference following the race, Jeff was the epitome of professionalism and the goal of pursuing your life's goals and passions. He said he loved racing since he was 7 years old. He battled not only on the track, but was "the next star" about a decade prior. He told us he had to fight through some of the ups and downs of career to be in the position this year to win the Sprint Cup this year.

His wife was there at his side. She monitored his progress from the pits, and sat on the side of the press conference room as well. He discussed focus and life balance. When you are preparing for a race at this level, the driver and crew need to have total team focus for success. When the race is over, it is time to celebrate. He wants his teammates to also have other interests and balance in their lives. He had a healthy perspective of being at the top of your game, but realizing that this is just one part of your life.

His team owner, Richard Childress, battling a cold or flu, sat to Burton's left at the press conference and showed his pride in Jeff's accomplishments. Early in his career, Jeff Burton, was mentored by Mark Martin. Mark had instilled in him the idea that the next race you win might be your last, so enjoy it. It also allowed perspective of winning and losing as well.

Burton also showed that physically he works hard to keep his body in the shape of an athlete ten years younger. This is another factor in keeping himself as role model of integrity to others in the sport. At the time when the sport is moving to more branding and commercialization and away from the old legends in NASCAR, Jeff Burton is the bridge between the past and the future of the sport. He has the drive, desire and determination to bring home the Cup. NASCAR and its fans should be proud to have such a role model at the pinnacle of its sport.

NASCAR - Bank of America Week - Dollar General 300

Last night, I had the opportunity to attend the Nationwide Series - Dollar General 300 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Kyle Busch took the checkered flag. He has won twenty races this year NASCAR's , Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Trucks. Busch has won 8 Sprint Cup series races this year. He has another chance tonight at the Bank of America 500 to increase this total.

It was a night of rain, caution flags and a few wrecks with the race ending a little after midnight. The fans were enthusiastic and the drivers all seemed to be having a great time even with the delays.

Even with the gas crisis the infield at Lowes was full of spectators in their RV's and modified buses. This race gave me the opportunity to see the sport close up from the pit areas. The pits are a lot like going to war, you prepare and plan, you wait around and then their are about 20 seconds of adrenaline rush as the pit crews jump from the wall holding tires, large gas cans, and electric wrenches/drills.

During the race, there were some wrecks on the track in front of the pit area/near the start finish line. They towed the cars off the tracks into the garages. You could smell the fumes from the gas as they drove past.

Looking forward to tonight's race and learning more about being first person in the pits.

MediaMensch Meets Marcus Smith, new CEO of SMI Motorsports

This week begins a new chapter for NASCAR and Motorsports as Marcus Smith, takes over as the CEO of the company founded by his father and chairman, Bruton Smith and fills the shoes of legendary promoter and former CEO, Humpy Wheeler.

Today at Lowes Motor Speedway Club, we had a chance to be part of a press luncheon to meet and greet Marcus. Marcus grew up in the business at his father's side and told some great stories of learning the business from the "outside". As a young man, he was a champion "Weedwhacker" who could trim your hair with precision. He also had to opportunity to take part in some other stadium "maintenance" activities such as chasing the pigeons away with shotguns. That was the "sunburn" part of his career.

After college, Marcus had the opportunity to learn about the business from the "inside" moving around from department to department and gaining responsibilities as he grew in his job.

His vision for the future of his organization was to keep SMI a place where the employees and fans had fun each day. At the heart of the sport is entertainment and the future challenges are allowing the fans to have access to the drivers in the face of increasing media and sponsorship demands.

Marcus is currently on a "listening" and learning tour of SMI and seems to be doing the things that a good leader must do, surround yourself with great people, provide direction, and then get out of their way.

Many interesting events are coming to Lowes Motor Speedway and the other tracks owned by SMI. Last week, SMI bought Kentucky Motor Speedway, and on September 11, 2008 will be opening the "Bellagio" of drag racing strips called the ZMAX Dragway. (Can you tell he owns the Las Vegas Speedway too!).

As far the the challenge of filling seats due to $4.00 gas prices, SMI will be working to package its tickets to keep that experience affordable to its core fan base. One statistic, I learned today was the their average fan to Lowes Motor Speedway travels 400 miles each way on average and stays for multiple days. It is the one sport, where you can really bring your friends and family and have a life long memory.

We also had a great time at our lunch table getting to know a "Motorsports Historian" and a few other executives who surround Marcus Smith and will be playing key roles in the day to day execution of his vision.

MediaMensch looks forward to deepening our relationship with NASCAR, NHRA and Motorsports owners, teams, drivers, sponsors and especially the fans!.

Welcome Marcus! We look forward to your 50 year plan!

Is NHRA the Next NASCAR?

I spent the last two days working at the Lowes Motor Speedway booth at Speed Street, a downtown event attracting hundreds of thousands of race fans and locals. Even though Lowes Motor Speedway is the venue for the event, we had a small one table tent at the very outskirts of the Speed Street.

Lowes is opening a 125 acre zMax Drag race track and the first race is Sept 11 to 14. We had a 30 foot pro series drag racer outside our booth. I had the opportunity to spend time with the people who work at a drag racing team and met with two of the leading drag racers in the country, Hillary Will and Doug Herbert. Hillary is one of the top female racers and her moniker is "The Fastest Woman on Earth" as she has driven at 334 mph. (this was done in 4.5 seconds on a 1/4 mile track).
She spent her life around racing and has a passion for the sport. She is one of the few female racers so she is breaking barriers. Recently she just returned from a life changing trip visiting the troops in Afghanistan.

Doug Herbert is a seasoned veteran of the sport. It was his drag racer which we had at our booth. His booth was promoting B.R.A.K.E.S. with means "Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe". He had lost two of his sons (Jon, 17 and James, 12) to a car accident in early 2008 near their home in Cornelius, NC.

According to the MySpace page, "This horrible loss pushed the boys' father Doug Herbert and Jon's friends from their school to pull together and make a difference in the way teens think about driving. B.R.A.K.E.S.'s goal is to encourage young drivers to be more careful driving on the street, and that racing should be done on the race track, not the street."

So what I came away with from this first encounter with the sport are two drivers who are passionate, driven, focussed, down to earth, and who think about the fans and others.

I also found the NHRA web page to be a great way to learn about the sport. They have easy to read blog entries about the basics of the sport, your first visit to an event, and a glossary of terms.



I look forward to learning more.

All Star Race Week, Lowes Motor Speedway, and SpeedStreet.

Motorsports is booming here in Charlotte, NC as Lowes Motor Speedway hosts the annual Sprint All Star Race this evening. This really kicks off a week in which over 200,000 visitors will descend on the Charlotte (Concord, NC) region for festivities which rival any major sporting event in the world.

Tonight is the Sprint All Star race where the top NASCAR drivers will be competing for a prize of $1 million dollars. It is one of the highlights of the year for many of the drivers and their race teams as most have their HQ in this area with some only a few miles from the track.

There are also bragging rights for Pit Crews who competed earlier this week at the NBA Bobcats arena. Pit crews are becoming so sophisticated that they are recruiting top athletes out of colleges similar to what other major league sports do. There is a very athletic ballet that happens when a pit crew can change two front tires and gas up a car push it over a finish line in around 20 seconds.

In addition, you will find that in downtown Charlotte, there is a great party that goes on for 4 days and 3 nights called Food Lion SpeedStreet. This is a great family and fan atmosphere with something for everyone. Sponsors such as Kelloggs, Juicy Fruit, Ford, General Motors, Food Lion, Coca-Cola, Miller Lite, Budweiser, Chevrolet and General Mills, Toyota, and dozens more have booths, games and contests. Autograph seekers can find times to meet with their favorite drivers. as their are 29 scheduled events scheduled. The current and former NASCAR drivers and owners slated to appear at this year’s event have amassed an amazing 11 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup championships, 305 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup wins, 1,080 top-five finishes, 1,754 top-ten finishes, 210 pole positions, 102 NASCAR Busch Series wins, 9 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series wins and just to add a little extra - 3 Super Bowl wins in the highly competitive National Football League.

Music fans can find wide mix of musical acts on the Coca Cola, Miller Lite and Budweiser stages. Country music superstar Joe Nichols, the R&B supergroup Tony! Toni! Toné and the legendary rock group Cheap Trick join forces on the Coca-Cola stage. One of country music’s most popular female singers Sara Evans, 80’s Rock mega band LOVERBOY, the exciting alternative rock band Puddle of Mudd and one of country music’s hottest groups The Wreckers headline an eclectic mix of talent and energy that will grace the Miller Lite stage. Diamond Rio, one of country music’s most versatile and talented groups joins forces with rising young country music vocalist Danielle Peck and alternative rock giant Better Than Ezra to comprise a formidable lineup for the Budweiser stage. All of this is free!.

At Lowes Motor Speedway, you will find great excitement and fun with booths and entertainment from companies such as Sprint, Irwin Tools, Jack Daniels, Crown Royal and dozens more. You can also visit the gift shop and the walk of legends plus attend the races themselves.

The events include the Nationwide series, All Star Challenge, Pole Night and capped off with racing under the lights at the spectacular Coca Cola 600. For tickets and over information you can contact www.lowesmotorspeedway.com.

NASCAR - Coca Cola 600 - An Insiders View

I arrived at the race track at 11 am. Gates opened at noon for the fans and the race start time is about 5 pm. Already getting to the track you sit in traffic where the last mile took me about 15 minutes even though I had VIP parking passes. I quickly parked my car and made my way up the express elevator to the Diamond Tower Suites. I met with the team of other "concierges", medical personal, security, cleaning, catering and corporate hosts already preparing the suites for the day.

The suites and companies I worked with this year were a little different from the fall race season. I worked with a suite from Deloitte, Speedways Children's Charities, Carolinas Medical Center, Anheuser Busch, CT Communications, The Charlotte Observer Newspaper, and a suite called "The Pit Crew". Most of these are sponsors or closely connected with Lowes Motor Speedway.

I had worked with some of the "hosts" for the fall Bank of America races, so it was easier this time to anticipate issues and things they needed. Most of the suites are given "Pit Passes" so that their guests can visit the pit area prior to the race. Some of these suites will hire a guide for an "official tour".

At 4:15, one of the most interesting things happened. The army was presenting a 30 minute program that included blackhawk helicopters flying around suite level inside the stadium, army rangers rappelling into the track, and they even fired explosives from a large cannon. This was memorial day, so it was really time to reflect and honor the troops. I had met an army ranger the previous day and had a long discussion about Iraq and our exit strategy. He had served 3 tours in Iraq and really provided a different perspective than what I had grasped from reading newspapers and magazines and watching tv and youtube.

Most of this race was mixed with crashes as the heat on the track was around 140 degrees at race time and the track would be cooling down on until darkness fell. Top racers such as Jeff Gordon were eliminated early from the race. With about 50 laps to go it looked as if Tony Stewart would be wrapping up the win.

Also, at lap 50, in one of my suites was a winner of the Food Lion/Coca Cola Sweepstakes. He had been entertained all week, got a ride in the pace car prior to the race and now was heading down with a photographer, his host from Coca Cola to ride a stretch hummer to Victory Lane. I was close to tagging along as things were quiet at that point and there was plenty of room. I settled for the photographer taking my picture in the suite. (I hope to get a copy to post here).

Also during the race, there is lots of food and drinks being served from fruit plates to chicken, to cheesecake. There is also a bar in each suite with two bartenders who make sure that the food and drinks are plentiful.

At the end of the race, I was able to pick up a gift basket from the Pit Crew Suite from Cabarrus County Visitor Bureau. I also was able to bring home a giant bag of popcorn for my kids.

At the end of the night, I did have a bit of an insiders view of the track. I had the opportunity to drive my car around from Turn 2 to the corporate area near Turn 4 as I had to report in. It was interesting weaving in and out of the sea of fans leaving the race. It was only my car and the official golf carts in that area.

I did get to meet some people this week from NASCAR, Lowes Motor Speedway, Speedway Children's Charities, and

Nextel All Star Challenge

The Nextel All Star Challenge is somewhat of a homecoming for many of the NASCAR drivers and it is a "permanent" all-star game "race" which is held every year of Lowes Motor Speedway in Concord, NC, just outside of Charlotte.

The top Nascar drivers in the world compete for a $1 million dollar prize. It is an exciting night usually filled with some tight racing and wrecks as there are three segments of 20 laps each, so it is more like a sprint to win.

The week here in Charlotte in the Spring that includes the Nextel Cup and the Coca Cola 600 is called Speed Week. We have a "Speed Street" in downtown Charlotte that includes most of the major sponsors of NASCAR and three stages of musci.

This year, I was working at the race handling the suites for NASCAR, Speed Channel/Fox Sports, Purina, CarQuest, and others. The suites were along turn 4 which is the last turn before the finish line. It is an exciting place to be sitting. The suites are glass enclosed with seating for about 50 people and come with their own bartenders and buffet.

Being a concierge is about a 10 hour day. This job is part host, part security, and part maintenance. In addition to playing host, things go on in the suites from fixing the air conditioning systems to painting and putting up logos and artwork, to setting up the televisions (and handling the remote controls) for each suite.

I had a chance to meet and mingle within most of these suites this week and got to meet some of the event planners and sports marketing people who are responsibile for making sure their company's clients are having a great experience.