On Saturday night, I did my fair share of volunteering at an event that will be televised on ABC's 20/20 this coming Friday. It was the The Power of Love Gala 2009 to benefit The Lou Ruvo Brain Institute. Since my grandmother suffers from Alzheimer's I was glad to take part in support of this organization and I encourage others to volunteer their time in support of any cause that is near and dear to them. I wish I could say that I was excited to be in the presence of national and local celebrities such as Hilary Duff, Teri Hatcher, Danny Devito, Kenny Guinn (Ex Governor of Nevada) and Lorenzo Fertitta (majority owner of UFC) but I wasn't. After all, they are just people. While I am thankful for the money these people donated, I believe that real stars are those individuals that truly illuminate our lives and help guide us through the dark mysteries of this human experience. After retiring Saturday evening, I excitedly anticipated going to the Shelby 427 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with one of the stars that I work with. (Thanks for coming with me, Ms. Megan.)
A little history on NASCAR. It was born out of friendly competitions during Prohibition between moonshine runners just for the honor of boasting the fastest car. Anyone remember the Dukes of Hazzard? Since it's formation in 1948 it has become a marketing monster. It's the second most popular professional sport in the United States following the National Football League and that was obvious from the crowd gathered in the stands on Sunday. So, what does this have to do with someone like me? My appreciation of cars goes back to Saturdays spent with Dad working on the old grey Charger in the garage. We'd go back and forth to Kragen like ten times to get a tool for that or a gadget for this. I remember the grease that would accumulate on his hands and the blue coveralls zipped over his clothes. The way he would say "doggone it" when something wasn't working out quite the way he imagined. My dad, an Oklahoma native, was also a NASCAR fan and I could just hear him saying "woo-weee" after getting a look under the hood of one of those competing beasts. Those cars are truly mechanical wonders what with the way they roar around the gigantic track in thirty seconds or less.
Contrary to popular notion, NASCAR is not just celebrated by Southern men with sun burned necks. Walking into the event on Sunday, I saw both men and women. I saw people hued black, brown, yellow and white. I saw small children and senior citizens. I saw America. As the National Anthem was performed by the stars of The Jersey Boys and Thunderbirds flew overhead, the roar of the crowd was wondrous. Gotta love this country.
As a marketing professional by day, I saw tons of dollar signs. Beneath the bleachers, booths offered every kind of artery clogging delicacy one could think of from turkey legs to pulled pork sandwiches. How convenient of Tums to be giving out free samples! Liquor was consumed as if it were going out of style and thus one of the biggest attractions was a Jack Daniel's tent. Lamar Billboards (thanks for the tix, Suzy) were situated between the first and second turns of the track. During the race, the cars travelled around the track 285 times over the course of approximately three hours. Thus, both the billboards and car wraps provided a ridiculously long commercial for brands such as Miller Beer, M&M's, Lowe's, 3M, GoDaddy.com, DuPont and UPS. NASCAR is marketing genius.For car enthusiasts there is something romantic about the roar of engines and the love of American brands such as Ford and Chevrolet. Watching the careful and quick choreography of the pit crew is also something to behold. However, I believe that all those fans tolerate the inhalation of oil fumes and tire debris smudging their faces for one thing only..... the potential car wreck. Every time one of those machines crashed into a wall or another car, the crowd was on their feet to watch the undercarriages glow with flames and the miraculous manner in which racers narrowly avoided running into a car careening across the track. It's amazing AND patriotic!
Congrats to Las Vegas racer and driver of the M&M's car, Kyle Busch. Why do I have a sudden taste for chocolate?
No comments:
Post a Comment