Well, the month of May is over and for those in the motorsports industry, May is a significant month.
And that's not only for those attempting to qualify for and win the Indy 500, or the NASCAR All Star Race and the 600-mile race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. There are also short track drivers around the country whose weather dictates that the first race of the season is in May.
That's certainly true for my Supermodified friends at Oswego (NY) Speedway. With new owners and renewed hope for a track that was once highly successful under the management of mother in the 80's, the run-down track is getting a face lift and maybe some new enthusiasm among drivers and fans to go along with it. I wish the Torrese brothers all the luck in the world at the place I know they love -- as do I.
Racing for me in May starts with Dover. Our client DuPont is headquartered in nearby Wilmington, DE. We travel there on Wednesday before the race, have Jeff Gordon at DuPont headquarters for a very long day on Thursday, then on to the track for the remainder of the weekend culminating with hospitality on Sunday morning. I've been working with Jeff for nearly 17 years now and after "NASCAR Day at DuPont" I am always amazed at how good he is both on and off the track ---a true professional in every sense of the word.
But beyond race tracks and race drivers, there is a new class of fresh faces that kicked of their summer internships with NASCAR's Driver for Diversity program in May. I had the honor of being invited back for the second consecutive year to speak to this group.
I covered the ususal topics about PR and professionalism, encouring networking and volunteering and the like. However, this group was so enthusiastic and not only asked a lot of questions, they asked a lot of the right qusetions. I have heard back from several of them thanking me for my time and sharing my insight.
There are many talented up-and-coming drivers that will one day take the place of the veteran drivers and be the public face of the sport. But these young men and women are the ones who will take my place and be the future of the business side of motorsports. After seeing this particular group, I am encouranged that our sport's future is in good hands.
I hope everybody had a successful and safe May, and I wish you all the best in June!
nit•ty-grit•ty\n: what is essential and basic: specific practical details. I look to write about happenings that are interesting, relevant or just plain fun as seen from my view of the world. I'll touch on our companies, Performance PR Plus and The Charlotte Destination Group, which focus on the NASCAR industry and corporate meeting and event planning in the greater Charlotte area, respectively. I hope to let you into my world a bit and to be enlightened by sharing in yours!
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