Many fans of NASCAR drivers crave the chance to meet their driver. They spend hours in line waiting for autographs, they will spend huge amounts of money for fan events, and will find the most strategic locations at the track to catch a glimpse of their idol. For many fans, they rarely get a chance to see past the corporate-babble that comes from race time interviews. But sometimes, drivers remember who their fans are, and want to interact with them!
Something pretty special happened at DavidGilliland.com on Wednesday evening. David made room in his schedule, and agreed to spend an hour with his fans in a chat room! A full chat room saw David busy typing for an hour, responding to 45 of the 65+ fan-submitted questions!
Post-chat, fans were raving over the experience. "Tonight's chat was the best ever!" "Tonight was the best I have felt about NASCAR all year! THANKS DAVID FOR BEING OUR DRIVER!" "I am just amazed at what a terrific guy David is. What a breath of fresh air to have someone who is so appreciative of his fans. That was just the coolest chat ever -- and I am so grateful that David took the time out of his schedule to do that with us."
Gilliland's fans, self-proclaimed as Gilly's Gang, earlier this year banded together to donate enough money for a set of tires, amassing the needed amount in less than 48 hours. As a reward, Kevin Buckler of TRG Motorsports, used the rear deck to sport a fan-designed sticker for the car for a race. Gilly's Gang showed up in force for several races this year, peppering the background of the SpeedTV broadcasts with Gilly related signs. David also sends periodic messages to his fans via his message board, and is very aware that every race has a race chat in progress, with fans watching every step of David's cars on the track!
The chat provided enough information for a few days worth of blogs, but here are some of the highlights!
David talked about his current season. He had nothing but raves for his crew chief Slugger Labbe! "Slugger has a ton of experience. He is a great guy, and we get along well. He is very competitive just like me. We want to do well. I think he is a great crew chief." David was asked a few questions about the Start and Park situation that has been occurring with TRG Motorsports. "Start and Parking SUCKS (excuse my French) I would never do it full time. Remember, we do it to race, 1 or 2 start and parks so we can race. (It is) the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. I am a very competitive person" When asked "David, I saw how fast the car was at Dover in practice. Is there ever a time when the owners might say 'Man, we are fast, we better go ahead and race?'" David responded "I think everyone needs to know that everyone at TRG works day and night to be able to race every week. We go to the track with the cars ready to race. Whether we get to or not comes down to if we have the money. (But) there is a possibility that it could happen."
Fans tried to pin David down on his future. He responded to questions about the rumor of being in a 4th Joe Gibbs Racing car for three races with "(I'm) working very hard on lots of things. But that would be awesome though, wouldn't it?" He also said that if he gets something with Gibbs, it would be one of the most competitive rides, as they are on top of their game. When pressed about next year, he stated his goals for 2010 were to be in a competitive car where he has a chance to win.
David continued to answer questions for the rest of the hour, visiting with family and friends alike, many of those friends coming from his early racing days.
In a future blog, I will reveal more information about this driver, one who tells us he appreciates his fans as much as they appreciate their driver.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
When Driver and Fans meet! Gilliland Chats with Gilly's Gang!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Gilliland and TRG Motorsports Ready for Home Track
Monday June 15, 2009
Gilliland Second at Infineon Last Year
Mooresville, North Carolina (June 15, 2009) – David Gilliland and TRG Motorsports are ready for the Toyota SaveMart 350 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California. The track is the home circuit for TRG Motorsports and driver David Gilliland returns to the site of his best NASCAR finish to date, second place last year.
TRG’s corporate offices are headquartered just over the hill in Turn Three a few miles away from the track in Petaluma. Team principals Kevin and Debra Buckler live in Marin, County so this is very much a home event for the entire team.
Gilliland, of Riverside, California, is looking forward to racing the 10-turn, 1.99 mile undulating road course located in the heart of wine country. Last year he qualified 32nd and was able to improve the car and finish second.
“I can’t wait for this weekend,” Gilliland said. “Last year with qualifying on Friday, we fought being loose with the car. On Saturday in the final practice we got the car really good and were third in practice. That gave us a lot of confidence going into the race. We took our time and got to the front. We played the fuel mileage game right, half-way through the race we got into the top five and stayed there and made a run at the end. I have won there in two other series and ran second last year in the Cup race. I’m going to Infineon with a lot of confidence. It is a lot of fun for me to go there, I really enjoy it.”
The team tested at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) with TRG veteran sports car driver Andy Lally.
“The car drove well at VIR. VIR is not Infineon, but we were able to test brakes and made some changes that will make us that much closer when we unload on Friday. We came back and changed the car and we feel we have a better car as a result of the test. The TRG sports car ace, Andy Lally, was there as well and definitely added value to the test.”
Crew chief Richard “Slugger” Labbe will have to be on his game with strategy, fuel mileage and track position.
“At any road race, strategy and fuel mileage play a big role. We will work very hard on making sure we are maximizing the fuel mileage. You also need a good handling car of course. In road racing there are so many opportunities to make mistakes. You have to have a car with brakes on it at the end and four fenders to be in a position to win at the end.”
Car setup is key to having a good day on a road course.
“The car has to be balanced everywhere. You have to be able to get off of Turn Seven and Turn 11. Getting off of those corners in low gear is a challenge. We have to get forward traction off those corners to make the run the down the straights.”
Double wide restarts will play a factor in the race this weekend.
“It will work fine as long as you are on the inside. If you are on the outside it will be a challenge. Almost every Cup race at Infineon there is an accident on the first lap in Turn Two it just gets so tight. Even though you are on the outside going across the line, which should put you on the inside into Turn Two, I would prefer the inside. It is all part of having the four fenders on the car at the end.”
Kevin Buckler, TRG Motorsports team principal, is excited to be running at his home track. He will also be a key element in strategy with his years of driving road courses as a driver.
“It will be great to compete with our new NASCAR team in front of our home town crowd,” Buckler said. “We have been planning for this weekend for most of the year. We will have an event pretty much every night leading up to the race and a large contingent of supporters at the top of Turn Two. David is really excited to come back here and try to improve one more position from his best ever NASCAR finish. The team has witnessed a ground swell of support from local businesses and we are proud to be the home town team. We have tested the road course car and we are very confident in our driver and our approach to the weekend. I can’t wait! We will have our brain trust of road racing veterans to help in any way they can so we can have the best day possible. My career as a driver for TRG was launched with a big upset win here in 1995. Let’s see if we can try to do the same with our NASCAR program.”
Gilliland will also be in the No. 89 car of the Camping World West Series on Saturday driving for Daryl Wong. The last time Gilliland drove the 89 was at Phoenix where he put it on the pole.
The SaveMart 350 from Infineon Raceway will be televised live on TNT starting at 4:30 p.m. ET.
The team would like to thank the Fairfield in Vacaville for their support.
TRG Motorsports is based in Mooresville, North Carolina. Currently the team fields a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series entry as well as a Camping World Truck Series effort and an ARCA RE/MAX Series team. The Racer’s Group was founded in 1993 and has been competing at the top level of sports car racing. TRG’s Porsche sports car program is run out of the company’s headquarters in Petaluma, California. The team has the most wins of any team in the Grand-Am Rolex Series with 28, including the 2005 and 2006 Rolex Series GT championship trophy to go along with wins in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona (three) and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
For more information please contact Kyle Chura at (248) 821-0468 or chura@aol.com. Detailed team info can be viewed at www.trgmotorsports.com and www.theracersgroup.com.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
The Death Knell for Two NASCAR Series?
It tolls for thee.
On the eve of the spring pilgrimage to Michigan International Speedway, a link is gleaned from the chaff of Twitter Tweets. Reports are surfacing that one of the car manufacturers investing heavily in NASCAR, General Motors, will be cutting back sponsorship, and both the NASCAR Nationwide Series, and Camping World Truck Series will feel the greatest pinch. From the article by Reid Spencer, it appears that it will impact the larger teams, such as Kevin Harvick, Inc., Rusty Wallace, Inc., and JR Motorsports. If true, GM will not be supporting any teams except at the Cup level.
Full details should be revealed on Friday, in an article written by Michael Smith, of Sports Business Journal. From Spencer's article "As Smith points out, support from manufacturers typically comes in the forms of engines, parts and cash. In most cases, factory support goes to larger, more substantial organizations, while smaller teams receive little assistance, if any?"
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
There have been many complaints over the last few years that the NASCAR Cup drivers/teams are taking over the two lower series. While some will say that the upper tier drivers "raise the competition level" and 'bring bigger crowds,' it is true that the cars from Cup mega-teams have dominated both series. Swimming upstream are the teams that are independently owned, unaffiliated with the big teams, who don't have access to the biggest, best and latest gizmo that costs money and yet gives a competitive advantage.
The smaller teams have received very little in the way of resources. Left out of the mainstream of technology, the little guys have watched the purses erode and the competition get overwhelmingly hard. Working at a grass roots level, they are scrabbling to stay in a sport they live, eat, drink, and breath. They dreamed of getting as big as a Hendrick, Roush or Gibbs organization but cannot see their way to climb past the first hurdles, money and support.
The best of sponsorship deals in the lower series will not even cover the C-post on a Cup car. Bobby Hamilton, Jr, today on Sirius "The Morning Drive" lamented that if they get a chance at a sponsor, that sponsor wants a Cup driver in a Nationwide car. No problem? Sure. except the sponsor is not paying enough to compensate that Cup driver!
Europe is the less.
Consequently, regular watchers of the Nationwide and Camping World Truck series, over the years, have seen an erosion of the "little guy." The worst example came last weekend. The Truck race had 33 starters (not a full field) with 10 being start-and-park entries. The Nationwide race had 43 entries, with 11 out of the race by Lap 80. (There were some accidents in here, so all were not S&P cars.)
As well as if a manner of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
An immediate thought is that the races may become more competitive without the big teams, and that those grassroots teams may be able to make inroads into the standings. Yet, some of those big teams bring in fans of those big name drivers and with their loss ...who is left to watch?
If the big teams decide to abandon the two lower tier series, where does that leave the teams that run exclusively in the lower series? And where will it leave the Cup teams, especially those that are struggling against the tide of the big team wealth. Hopefully, not washed out to sea.
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.
John Donne
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
NASCAR Media all A-Twitter!
I am finding it increasingly more interesting to follow the NASCAR media in the last few weeks. As an 'older generation' fan, and most certainly an older generation 'blogger.' I find that I am not on the same side of many of the bloggers and even some of the media who write about NASCAR.
But what the heck! This is the new age, and I have just as much right to express an opinion as anyone. As an observer, I found the recent Kyle Busch 'Guitar Gate' event to be an astounding mass of misinformation!
I recently discovered Twitter, and Lo! The media is all a-twitter!!!! The media was Aghast at the Smash of the Axe! (So was I!) Immediately after the guitar smash, I sent a 'tweet' to the Gibbs media representative who reports during the race. (Yes, I sent my displeasure, and I am sure many other Tweeps did the same! ) Within minutes, there was a steady stream of "Sam Bass loved it" and "The Sponsors Loved It!" I could see the spin happening! In fact, the spin happened for several hours into the next day.
Monday morning, listening to Sirius Radio's The Morning Drive, I heard NASCAR writer Nate Ryan as a guest host, declare the party line: "Sam approved of this a year in advance." After Sam came on the air on the later broadcast, Sirius Speedway, we found the whole story, as Sam did not know about the future trophy destruction at any time before the event. When it happened, Sam was stunned, heartbroken, and disheartened. He declared that Kyle told him LATER that he did not mean disrespect, but Sam was still upset. Sam, for those of you who have yet to meet him, is a humble and private man. He will do anything to help anyone, but even he said that the smashed guitar was not replaceable, it was one of a kind.
At that point, the Twittering Media was responding with..."What?!! Sam was not happy!!!???" Until Sam appeared on a few select shows, no one had asked Sam Bass how he felt, and no one asked the venue operator, and no one asked Federated Auto Parts. RESEARCH is important!
I woke up this morning with Sirius in my ear, and heard Nate Ryan continue with his philosophy. He and Mike Bagley decided that anyone who disagreed with their opinion would be discounted. I have to wonder, how would David Poole react? Encountered with evidence that what they had espoused the previous day was not true, they continue blindly in the same incorrect direction, picking apart any argument that did not agree with them. Indeed, Bagley went through a mass deletion of detractors on his Facebook page.
To take it to the other side of journalistic integrity, I had an encounter with an individual who writes for the blog compiler "The Bleacher Report" who made some statements about what he thinks should happen in a particular NASCAR ride. He had several facts wrong, and after several dialogues back and forth, where I, and others, presented facts, he finally gave up and deleted his blog. For someone who claims they are planning on a career in "Mass Communications" perhaps they should be prepared to RESEARCH and RESPOND with FACTS! If one has the courage of convictions, one should not need to delete the blog when overwhelmed with facts.
Hubris is not permanently attached, it can be pulled from your psyche to reveal humility and the desire to find out the truth.
