2009 Charlotte Media Tour Steve Phelps Talks with Executives (Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)

By: Toby Christie

So far in the 2010 NASCAR season drivers have taken the gloves off. NASCAR has overhauled the rule book thus allowing the drivers to police themselves. What we have seen as a result is incredible, yet unpredictable racing week in and week out.

We now have the long awaited rivalries and emotion that the fans have craved for years… yet the ratings and attendance remain as droopy as Marcos Ambrose after the Montreal Nationwide race every season.

It just doesn’t make any sense at all. The product on the track is great, so that should be all we need to put butts in the seats right? Negative.

Monday NASCAR made a huge announcement that will in my opinion make more of an impact on ticket sales and ratings than ‘boys have at it’ ever could.

Following a review of the communication and public relations activity throughout the sport, NASCAR released a press release detailing a an Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) department, that as Brian France explains will “Change the way we do business.”

According to the press release, the new communications structure will allow NASCAR to be even more effective on the competition aspects of the sport, an area where NASCAR was regularly cited in the review as being among the best when compared to other major league sports by media in all genres. It also positions the sanctioning body to take a much more strategic and offensive approach to selling the sport in a constantly-evolving traditional, digital and social media landscape.

This move will reportedly add approximately 20 positions to the NASCAR Public Relations team.

The new IMC will be headed by a CCO, to be named at another time. The CCO will report directly to NASCAR’s chief marketing officer, Steve Phelps, who was instrumental in the review of the communications department.

The company in charge of the CCO search is Korn/Ferry International.

Two staff moves have been announced already. Current Vice President of Corporate Communications will move to significant role in NASCAR’s evolution. Hunter will spearhead the movement from a newly created position as Vice President of Special Projects.

Meanwhile the current Managing Director of Corporate Communications Ramsey Poston has declined an offer to take a new position inside this drastic overhaul. Poston will finish out the year with the company, and then take a role as an outside consultant for the sanctioning body.

“As the communications review accurately revealed, Jim and Ramsey have done a fantastic job of moving the competition aspects of our operation to an elite level,” said Phelps. “The strong foundation they’ve built has positioned NASCAR to expand this operation to meet the needs of the future and we are confident their combined experience, expertise and passion for NASCAR will be strong assets in that process.”

Now this announcement isn’t nearly as sexy as the ‘boys have at it’ rule changes, just for the simple fact that fans in general wont really see much of a change. However this is something team owners have urged the sport to do for years. Not to mention this new team should be very effective in captivating the casual fan, which in turn will help keep the sport on the cutting edge in this marketing savvy world.

As we know the hardcore fans are the ones who have stuck through the inception of the COT, and now the back to the roots revival of the past year. Now it is time for NASCAR to re-open it’s door to the casual fan, and that all starts with social media and branding.

By: DJ DeSpain

RubbingsRacing.com has been around since 2000, and we have seen a lot of growth in the past decade. From a simple website posting NASCAR Cup points standings, RubbingsRacing.com has grown into a NASCAR-accredited website featuring dedicated writers, hosting multiple podcasts, and providing race coverage at the majority of the three national series NASCAR events.

Now, as the end of our first decade comes about, we have some big changes coming that are sure to excite our current fans and attract new fans to come! A new staff member will also be coming aboard, one who will be instantly recognizable, and will be an excellent complement to our wonderful staff of writers and reporters!

In partnership with our friends at Atlanta Motor Speedway, RubbingsRacing.com editor Chris Smith will have a live announcement at the track detailing our changes and introducing our newest staff member on Sunday, September 5th.

To help celebrate our announcement, we will have a joint tweetup at 4PM that Sunday outside the entrance of Gate 15 with Jeff Gluck, motorsports editor for SBNation.com, featuring prize drawings and special guests, including our newest staff member! Some of the prizes to be given away include:

• One AMP Energy Dale Earnhardt Jr. Embroidered Jacket
• One AMP Energy Dale Earnhardt Jr. Clock
• Ten Atlanta Motor Speedway Race Souvenir Packages
• And more!

Be sure to check in on September 5th on our facebook.rubbingsracing.com page, our twitter accounts below, or here on this website for the announcement!

Twitter accounts:

@RubbingsRacing

@Rubbings

@DJ_DeSpain

(reprinted with permission from Atlanta Motor Speedway)

What: During this week’s Emory Healthcare 500 race weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the south side of Atlanta will experience increased traffic flow throughout the weekend. With more than 100,000 fans expected for the Emory Healthcare 500, please help us advise fans of the best routes for entering and exiting the speedway.

When: Friday’s events include the Friday Fan Fest presented by Your Georgia Best Chevy Dealers. Saturday evening will play host to the Great Clips 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race. The weekend will culminate with Sunday’s Emory Healthcare 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.  Fans are encouraged to arrive early on Sunday due to increased traffic flow expected between 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Where: All racetrack-bound roads, especially Hwys. 19/41 and GA Hwy. 20 (Bruton Smith Parkway)

How: Please help us remind all commuters via traffic reports throughout the week of Monday, Aug. 30 through Sunday, Sept. 5 of the impending race traffic and advise them to take alternate routes. Inbound traffic is expected to be heaviest during late afternoon and evening hours, as Friday, Saturday and Sunday will feature evening events.

**Important Note: For its fans, Atlanta Motor Speedway provides a free shuttle and tram service from all parking lots to each gate.**

Basic Traffic Plan for the Emory Healthcare 500 weekend (Sept. 3-5):

Fans have a choice of which major route to take, either Hwy. 19/41 or Hwy. 20 from I-75 southbound. I-75 northbound race fans can exit at Exit 212 Hampton-Locust Grove Road or Exit 218, GA Hwy 20. Please choose which route to take based on where you would like to park on property; fans will be directed to a certain lot based on the direction from which they enter the speedway. Trams, shuttle buses and sidewalks will allow fans to get to their seats easily regardless of where they park on property. Be advised that the direction from which fans enter speedway property is the same direction to which they will exit out.

ENTERING THE SPEEDWAY:

From Hwy. 19/41:

FROM THE NORTH: Those traveling from the North (traveling southbound on Hwy. 19/41) will be directed to parking lots on the north side of the property and should utilize Speedway Blvd.

Those traveling south on Hwy. 19/41 will turn right at Speedway Boulevard and park in the yellow, red or green parking lots off of Speedway Blvd. Buses and those with vehicle credentials need to stay in the left lane, use the counter-flow lane as they approach the speedway and enter just south of the main entrance at entrance E.

FROM THE SOUTH: Those traveling from the South (traveling northbound on Hwy. 19/41 from Griffin) will turn at the main speedway entrance and will be directed to the blue parking lot.

From Hwy. 20:

Those traveling on Hwy. 20 will be directed to the orange parking lot on the south side of the property.

EXITING THE SPEEDWAY:

Fans will be routed out the same way they came in. If they entered from the North, they will be directed northbound. Those who enter from the South will be directed southbound.

For more information about the race weekend traffic plan, please contact Marcy Scott of Atlanta Motor Speedway at (770) 946-3951.  For up-to-the-minute traffic updates during race weekend, please contact the traffic command center directly at (770) 707-5015.

Georgia DOT urges travelers to call 511 for updated information about road/lane closures or construction projects. Georgia 511 is a free phone service that provides real-time traffic and travel information statewide, such as traffic conditions, incidents, lane closures, construction, and delays due to bad weather. Callers can also reach live operators to request assistance or report incidents 24 hours a day, seven days a week. More information is available at www.511ga.org.

Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images

By: Toby Christie

The Daytona 500 eluded Dale Earnhardt for the majority of his career. Earnhardt lost that race every which way you can, until finally he was able to capture it in 1998. For Memphis Raines (Nicholas Cage), the main character in the film Gone In Sixty Seconds, his unicorn was “Eleanor” a 1967 Shelby GT500 Mustang. Every time Raines was in position to “boost” that elusive car, something bad would happen to him.

It seems anyone who is good at anything always has that one that continually gets away, even in fiction stories. This in the end makes it all so much more sweet when they finally triumph.

Marcos Ambrose’s “Eleanor” is Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada. It came back to haunt him again Sunday.

In the inaugural event at Montreal in 2007, Ambrose led 37 of the 75 laps on the day, but he was discarded after a Robby Gordon road-rage incident at the end of the race. He would hang on to finish seventh, but the thought of what could have been must have been on his mind.

Ambrose came back in ’08, and from the third starting position he led 27 of the first 48 laps. Then the rain came, and it fell hard. The race was called after 48 laps, and because of pit strategy Ambrose found himself a disappointing third.

Then in 2009 Ambrose suffered the most bitter of defeats. He utterly dominated the day leading 60 of the 76 laps, but following a miscue in the final turn of the race Ambrose was passed by Carl Edwards.

Sunday Ambrose found a new, and equally heartbreaking way to lose at the Canadian track.

In a field full of Sprint Cup stars and road course ringers, the Australian got off to a fast start. However with less than 40 laps to go, Ambrose began reporting that he was losing voltage. The power issues would doom him, as he would lose more than one lap on pitroad, while his crew changed the battery in his No. 47 car.

With 23 laps to go Ambrose’s diminishing hopes for victory would completely end, when he had a sway bar break on his car. He will now have to wait until 2011 for another chance at capturing a race that he woulda, coulda, shoulda, had four straight wins in.

It appeared now that with a huge lead, it was Carl Edwards’ race to lose. However with nine laps to go, the race became one of attrition as the leader had a rear trackbar break. This sent Edwards, who had led the most laps on the day with 29, behind the wall and effectively out of the running for the win.

This set up a great battle for the win between some of the greatest road course ringers in the sport today, including Robby Gordon, Boris Said, Max Papis, and Jacques Villeneueve.

On a restart with seven to go Gordon and Papis duked it out on a restart, and by then end of the first turn the two were in the grass, scrambling to regain their spots on the course. Both would get back on track without losing much ground, but it was a nerve-racking moment.

After several caution flags down the final stretch, including one with two laps to go, we were now forced to go to a green-white-checkered finish. This made many uncertain about how much gas was left in leader Robby Gordon’s fuel tank.

On the restart Boris Said, would get position on Robby Gordon for the lead, when all of a sudden Gordon would run out of fuel. Gordon’s shot at redemption from the 2007 race was over, and the race was to be settled between Said, Papis, and Villeneueve… And what a finish it was.

Boris Said just nudged Max Papis by the smallest of margins in an incredible photo finish for the ages. This is Boris Said’s first career victory in NASCAR, and he breaks a long standing curse of the “Zaxby’s Car”.

Max Papis would finish second followed by Jacques Villeneueve, Brad Keselowski, and Paul Menard.

In the end the NAPA Auto Parts 200 will be remembered as a race that tested the human emotions. There were so many ups and downs in the emotional roller coaster, but then in the end you have to be left feeling good for guys like Boris Said, and Max Papis.

(Reprinted with permission from Atlanta Motor Speedway)

Below are some tips that will help ensure fans have a memorable, exciting visit to Atlanta Motor Speedway during the 2010 Emory Healthcare 500 Labor Day NASCAR night racing weekend.

Gate Openings – Various gates will be open each day for fans to access the facility. The following is the schedule with opening times and gates available that day: Gate 13 on Friday (5:30 p.m.), Gates 12 to15 on Saturday (10:30 a.m.), and all gates on Sunday (2:00 p.m.).

Important Note: For fans, Atlanta Motor Speedway provides a free shuttle and tram service from all parking lots to each grandstand.

Fan Assistance Program – The Fan Assistance offers golf cart transportation and general assistance throughout the Atlanta Motor Speedway parking areas. This service is limited to the Atlanta Motor Speedway facility only, providing patrons with the ability to move to and from almost any area on the property.  Patrons may inquire about any of these services at the Information Booths located throughout the Atlanta Motor Speedway property.

Atlanta Motor Speedway provides tram service between the campgrounds and the entrance gates before and after events and will depart regularly from the designated tram stops. Tram passengers under 12 must be accompanied by an adult. Trams are provided as a courtesy service to speedway guests. Due to the demand for this service, continuous riding (joyriding) is prohibited

Campground tram route:
Runs along inner perimeter road through all public parking and most camping areas.

Infield tram route:
Runs from the guard house at the new tunnel into the infield along the road course.

Fan Assistance Information Stops –Atlanta Motor Speedway is hosting three Fan Assistance Information Stops with two locations near the Display Lot on the Speedway’s perimeter road and one location in front of the Ticket Office.

***NEW FOR SEPT. 2010*** Fan Alert Text Message Program – Fans can text message issues, concerns or complaints to Atlanta Motor Speedway by texting number 69050 and writing keyword AMS <space> followed by your issue and location. A central dispatcher will promptly assist with the issue.

ATM Machines – Bank of America will have 11 ATM machines at various locations throughout the property. You will find ATM machines at Gates 13 and 15 (will call).  There are also locations in the Champions, Earnhardt, Petty

Camping Guidelines – Quiet time in all camping areas is from midnight to 7 a.m. (except Family Campground) although we do allow the use of generators, we ask that you respect your neighbors and only use them when necessary. Also, no flatbed trucks (over 10 feet long), flatbed trailers, box trucks, or portable storage containers are allowed.

Traffic Reports – Traffic information will be provided by WSB 750 AM. Tune in throughout the weekend for the latest traffic news. Georgia DOT urges travelers to call 511 for updated information about road/lane closures or construction projects. Georgia 511 is a free phone service that provides real-time traffic and travel information statewide, such as traffic conditions, incidents, lane closures, construction, and delays due to bad weather. Callers can also reach live operators to request assistance or report incidents 24 hours a day, seven days a week. More information is available at www.511ga.org.

Outside Food- While we pride ourselves on providing an excellent variety of food and drink options for our guests, visitors are welcome to bring their own items if they prefer. Coolers larger than 14”x14”x14” and glass bottles are not allowed inside the gates of the speedway.  Planning ahead will make your entrance to the speedway much simpler for both our visitors and security officers alike.

Handicapped Parking Enforcement – Handicapped parking areas will be strictly enforced for the Emory Healthcare 500 race weekend and misuse could result in being fined and/or towed. These areas are reserved for those fans with a handicap, not for those who plan to use a friend or relative’s handicap permit to gain access to these areas. The person who is the owner of the handicapped parking sticker is required to be in the vehicle.

Ticket Resale – No tickets may be resold on Speedway property.  This will be strictly enforced. Fans can also utilize TicketExchange, Ticketmaster’s new online service that enables safe and secure fan-to-fan ticket transactions. Buyers simply select the tickets they want based on price and seat location, without having to bid against other buyers, without having to coordinate delivery from anonymous sellers, and without the gamble that the tickets are fraudulent. Sellers are guaranteed payment for tickets sold, without having to collect payment or deliver the tickets to the buyer. For more information on TicketExchange, visit www.ticketmaster.com.

Directions to Atlanta Motor Speedway: Directions to AMS, including traffic patterns and facility maps can be found by visiting www.atlantamotorspeedway.com

First- Aid: During race weekend, Atlanta Motor Speedway has Emergency Assistance locations in each grandstand as well as the Infield. Should you or anyone in your party require Emergency Assistance while you are on AMS property, please visit one of those locations or, if needed, dial 911.

As with any large event, there is going to be increased traffic come race weekend, so Atlanta Motor Speedway would also like to encourage all fans coming to any event throughout the weekend to come early and stay late. All General Parking lots at AMS are open 24 hours a day (no overnight camping allowed), so fans should feel free to get here early to beat the traffic and check out everything the Speedway has to offer come race weekend.

For more information on race weekend or to answer any questions you may have please visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com or call (770)-707-7904.

Photo credit DJ DeSpain for RubbingsRacing.com

By: Lisa DeSpain

(This is the second in a series of profiles of NASCAR fans on twitter.)

Screen Name: @missouriracefan

Why you should follow her:

A huge NASCAR fan, she only started following our great sport about 6 years ago but she has a lot of enthusiasm for her favorite drivers and tracks. I love how she got interested in all this. Her husband and son had gone to watch a race at someplace called “The Brickyard.” We both thought it was hilarious that neither of us was familiar with that iconic track until the NASCAR bug bit. She figured she would just check out what this NASCAR thing was all about and tuned in to the broadcast. She thought it would be just a bunch of left turns and would bore her to tears. Boy was she mistaken! She said she surprised herself by really loving it! Initially, she loved the sound of the engines and when she got deeper into it, she was fascinated by the chess game that is played among the crew chiefs with pit strategy.

Her first live race was at Texas Motor Speedway and she fell completely in love. Now, she never misses a race on TV and hits 9-10 live races every year.  Her husband, a life-long NASCAR fan whose favorite driver was Fireball Roberts, now says that his job is driving Miss Lanette to various races. She does all the planning and the packing and he does the driving. A fair division of labor, I’d say. He doesn’t seem to mind at all. He has a theory that aliens have taken the real Lanette and he hopes they never bring her back, which is another reason to follow her. She has a wicked sense of humor. They both do. They make a great team and can both speak intelligently about almost anything to do with race teams and tracks.

Lanette also writes a blog on physically challenged fan’s accessibility at different NASCAR tracks. It can be viewed here: http://missouriracefan.wordpress.com/. She has a refreshing voice and a take no prisoners attitude that I truly enjoy reading. I think NASCAR should hire her as a consultant to help them accommodate all avid race fans to help them to enjoy a safe, fun time at every track. She could sort them out in no time!

When it comes to Twitter, Lanette started tweeting as a way to stay in touch with her grown son, and soon she became addicted to the fun of communicating with other NASCAR fanatics. She is truly an awesome, intelligent woman and I’d like to thank her for sitting down to talk with me. She is currently on a mission to meet all of the writers here at RubbingsRacing.com. Good luck with that project! If you want to connect with a true NASCAR fan, definitely check out @missouriracefan on Twitter. She’s very cool… for a Jimmie Johnson fan. Sorry, Miss L, I couldn’t resist.

Please join us on our Facebook page at facebook.rubbingsracing.com to comment on this article.

Be sure to follow Lisa DeSpain on Twitter, @LisaDespain, for more NASCAR news and updates!

By: Lisa DeSpain

Recently, I was lucky enough to sit down with Jennifer Jo Cobb before the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Darlington. If you don’t know much about Jennifer, or haven’t seen her drive yet, don’t worry, you will. She is a racer. Make no mistake. She’s not just a woman trying to run with the boys. She is a racer, through and through. It has been her goal since she was 8 years old to race in NASCAR, especially in Cup. She’s well on her way, having raced in both the NCWTS and Nationwide Series. She is in no huge hurry, however. She will race anything, anytime, anywhere just to get the experience. She learns from every race, and is content to keep gaining knowledge so when the opportunity arises, she will be more than ready to get out there, slug it out with the best, and contend for wins and championships. For the time being, she and her team are concentrating on the Truck series, competing well, gaining experience and wins.

It’s how she was raised. You compete as well as you can with the resources and equipment you have. She’s proud of the fact that she is earning her way and veteran drivers treat her like a racer. There are some really great veteran racers in the truck series. She feels free to ask questions of guys like Ron Hornaday, Todd Bodine, and Ken Schrader, and they give her the same respect. She told me about a time she was waiting to speak with Ken Schrader. She was standing behind a member of his crew and Ken asked the guy to move aside so she could ask her question. To me, that says a lot. Of course, Ken Schrader is a nice guy, but it says a lot about how much respect Jennifer has earned in the garage area and on the track.  She gives a lot of credit to her fellow racers in the NCWTS. She calls them real heroes who race for less money, but cherish their fans, and never fail to voluntarily show up for autograph sessions.

Jennifer really impressed me with her dedication to her fans. Earlier in the day that we talked, she had been signing autographs and taking pictures with some fans that had come by the hauler. During lunch, someone came in to tell her that there were some more people who had dropped by to meet her. She was starving and really wanted to eat. She asked if they could come back in a few minutes and immediately asked someone on her crew if that was the right thing to do. She was willing to give up her lunch to make her fans happy. To me, that is a racer that will do well in the fan friendly environment of NASCAR. She said she hopes she always has that opportunity to interact with her fans on that level. She wants all of her fans to know how much she appreciates their support. Like I said, a true racer.

Off-track, Jennifer does a lot of speaking at schools and corporations on the lessons she has learned, and is learning being a woman in a male-dominated environment. One of the biggest lessons she learned came from her father. Never give up is something that rules her world. When she first started racing, she had a span where she had some bad luck and wasn’t winning. She wanted to quit and thought her father would be relieved that they could stop spending so much money and time on her racing career. She was genuinely surprised when her father got mad at her! He told her not to dare quit until she won again. If she wanted to quit after that, he would support her. Now she says that when it seems like you’ve hit a wall, that’s when you breakthrough. With perseverance and faith, you can do anything. Just don’t give up, no matter what. Jennifer has the attitude and down-to-earth humility to accomplish anything she wants. I think the boys in the Cup series had better be watching their mirrors, because they are about to get a mirror full of a racer wearing lipstick.

Please join us on our Facebook page at facebook.rubbingsracing.com to comment on this article.

Be sure to follow Lisa DeSpain on Twitter, @LisaDespain, for more NASCAR news and updates!