Guest Editorial: A Special Bootleggers Run

Gary Dominguez wrote this piece that's a great example of getting and
keeping the fans involved, and the lessons that could be learned on the
local level.

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A Special Bootleggers Run

By Gary Dominguez

First and Foremost, I would like to thank Roger and Michelle Hadan or Eagle
Raceway for putting on this event, and for giving me the opportunity to meet
NASCAR greats Casey Mears, Bobby LaBonte, Jimmie Spencer, Michael Waltrip,
and of course the King: Richard Petty.

While admittedly, I am not a huge NASCAR fan, and don't usually get "star
struck", the impression these five gentlemen left may convert me. When I met
their plane at the airport, I was greeted with a huge smile, handshake, and
a "Nice meeting you, A'hm Richard Petty". The others followed suit.

I also got the honor of being "chewed out" by Michael Waltrip when my friend
Amie asked him for a picture, and I balked because we were running a little
behind, and needed to go. Mr. Waltrip said "sure, come over here". Amie
turned to me and said "see Gary, I told you so". Waltrip looked at me and
said "Ya Gary, What's the matter with you!?" He followed that with a big
grin.

While we were greeting on the airport tarmac, Mr. Waltrip noticed about 4
airport employees standing at the edge trying to get a look at the
celebrities. He pointed, and yelled over to them "Hey! What do you think you
are doing over there? Come on over here and be sociable!" The employees
eagerly made haste. The smiles they left with were immeasurable.

Once we got to the track, I didn't see them again until after their last
race to give them a ride back to their bus. Waltrip and Spencer rode with
me, and were elated about how neat the track was, and the facility was one
of the best they had ever seen. They were just as enamored with the
experience of being there, as we were to have them.

This brings me to the whole point of this article. These 5 gentlemen are
true ambassadors to their sponsors and their sport. It was not so much
meeting them as it was the feeling you got when you left. They actually made
you feel like you mattered to them. I left with a huge "warm fuzzy" from the
pleasure of meeting them. My point? These guys fly private planes like you
and I drive to work every day, and they still have time for the fans that
make them who they are. I would love to see that happen on a local level.

Too many times I see cars loaded up and heading for the pit gate before the
features are over. Too many times have I seen drivers giving autographs like
they are doing the fans a big favor. Most memorably was July 4th when a
certain once mighty traveling sprint series that made a stop at Eagle
Raceway. They have no room to be prima donnas when they make people pay $35
to see 14 cars. We need to make time for our fans, and take examples from
these five legends who have more right to arrogance than we will ever have,
but choose not to.

Some shining stars that come to mind are the Bryan Race Team, Billy Alley,
Dylan Smith, and Rik Gropp. Whether you love them or not, an example should
be taken from them on how to treat or most important commodity, our fans. If
everyone followed their example, we could end up with a lot more local race
fans. I could spend a lot more time telling you how they do it, but that
would make a long article even longer.

If these 5 legends can make the fans feel good about seeing them, then why
can't we as a local racing family do the same? I welcome your comments on
how to make local racing grow. Please email me at
gary.dominguez@woodsbros.com.

About Gary: Gary Dominguez is a long time ambassador for racing in the SE
Nebraska area. Gary is the founder of Midwest Racers Autograph Day, the
largest annual pre-season gathering of racers and fans in Nebraska, and
presents annual seminars to racers on gathering and keeping sponsorships.
For 2009, Gary sponsored and drove the official Eagle Raceway pace car.