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Traditional Sprint Car FanSite |
See You At The Races!!! |
| Anticipating
The New Season by Debbie Shipherd |
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(Feb.11,
2003)
When I began writing pit stories for the Wingless Sprints, my
intention was to share with people the pit side of racing,
especially all the good things that go on behind the scenes at the
track. As an elementary school PE instructor, I was impressed by all
of the camaraderie and good sportsmanship that that I witnessed
weekly in the pits. It’s unfortunate that young impressionable
children in the stands and other fans don’t get the opportunity to
see that aspect of racing. This has been and will continue to be the
sole purpose of my writing.
I am a driver’s wife, and a crew member, so often my
experiences are inclusive of our car and our crew. I make every
possible effort to include as much information about other drivers
and crews as I can, especially when other teams are willing to share
the information. I have no professional journalistic or photographic
training, and am merely attempting to do my small part in the
promotion of our growing division, while giving people a glimpse
into the positive aspects of racing.
Most Wingless Sprint teams are now anxiously
awaiting opening day races at our N.CA tracks, while still preparing
their cars. Hopefully everyone is triple checking their safety
equipment as well.
While our Wingless Sprint class is a very
affordable sprint division, it still takes money to maintain the
cars at a competitive level, and to cover fuel and tire expenses.
For most of us “weekend warriors” that have families, homes, and
other priorities, in order to race, we need sponsorship. While
having a company name or logo on a race car is an exciting and
unique method of advertising, let’s all focus on ways to make it
even more effective and appealing to business owners.
One thing I always notice is trophy dash
pictures, which frequently we enlarge and give to our sponsors. In
the picture, there’s the driver holding the trophy, joined by his
crew, family, and a track official, and the end result is a photo
where even the car is barely visible. Unless the driver or crew is
wearing sponsor hats or jackets, the sponsor is loosing out on a
good advertising opportunity, especially if the photo makes the
newspapers. This is not meant as any criticism to track
photographers, just one small thing we can all be aware of to insure
our sponsor’s visibility. Trailers, motor homes, and even your
personal truck can be utilized as moving billboards as well, a great
option to offer especially if you do any kind of traveling.
Track announcers are always provided with sponsor information
along with driver profiles, but rarely are writers or photographers.
It would sure be advantageous to all if every time your car and
driver was written about, sponsor names would be linked, too. I plan
to incorporate that aspect into my pit stories as much as possible,
so if anyone has sponsor info they want to share for internet
exposure, send it to me thru Don O’Keefe’s site.
Track promoters could help the cause by offering special
group discount tickets to the races for companies that sponsor
drivers and the tracks so that those companies’ employees can get
to the track to watch their cars. There are many things we can all
focus on to promote our division and to expand our corporate
partnerships.
The #20 team is still putting finishing touches on the car
and is looking forward to another fun season traveling to several
tracks. Hope to see you all soon! Have fun, be safe, and take care,
Deb |
