Official Member May 2011 magazine
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OFFICIAL NASCAR MEMBERS CLUB 26 At the Track with Matt By Matt Dusenberry When the ONMC At-Track VIP team landed in Daytona a few months ago to begin another season of events, I got the same feeling I get every year around that time--overwhelming excitement for the upcoming NASCAR season. As Speedweeks rolled through the Gatorade Duel races, I was not alone in this feeling as a packed-to-capacity grandstands and millions of viewers at home watched the qualifying races to set the field for the Daytona 500. A few practice sessions, Camping World Truck Series, Nationwide races and 500 miles later, Trevor Bayne ignited NASCAR and the motorsports community in a throwback David Pearson Wood Brothers paint scheme. The wave of momentum that historic victory created is still being felt. Simply put, the NASCAR that I fell in love with as a child is back in full force. I grew up watching the tail end of the Gordon/Earnhardt rivalry and the crowning of new champions in Dale Jarrett and Bobby Labonte. I was fortunate enough to see up-and-coming stars being built in the NASCAR Nationwide Series with Brian Vickers and Martin Truex Jr. winning titles. Now a new generation of players has been established…Kyle Busch, Kahne, Hamlin and Johnson to name a few. With the new 43-1 points system NASCAR is easier than ever to get into and understand. New series champions will be crowned in NASCAR Nationwide and NASCAR Camping World Trucks, further establishing the next generation of stars. After attending the first six races of the year and just about every other race after that, I can tell that the energy is back in the grandstands. Official Members are pumped to have the NASCAR that they love filled with compelling story lines to follow every week. The television ratings reflect this with positive, upward-trending numbers each and every week. With Danica Patrick, Travis Pastrana and Ricky Carmichael all trying their hand in NASCAR, the fan base is growing and becoming more engaged. The traditional stock car fan is being joined by extreme sports fans all watching the most traditional extreme sport….NASCAR! As the season gets into its summer stretch this Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup is shaping up to be one of the most compelling since its inception in 2004. The two-team wild- card aspect and every position being worth a point will add to the already exciting Chase format. I am honored to bring a little piece of that excitement to Members each and every week at the track. On behalf of the entire VIP team, we can’t wait to see you at the races! NASCAR’s Got Its Mojo On! Big Open to ’11 Season Adds to Sport’s Energy
Transcript of Official Member May 2011 magazine
OFFICIAL NASCAR MEMBERS CLUB26
At the Track with Matt
By Matt Dusenberry
When the ONMC At-Track VIP team landed in Daytona a few months ago to begin another season of events, I got the same feeling I get every year around that time--overwhelming excitement for the upcoming NASCAR season.
As Speedweeks rolled through the Gatorade Duel races, I was not alone in this feeling as a packed-to-capacity grandstands and millions of viewers at home watched the qualifying races to set the field for the Daytona 500. A few practice sessions, Camping World Truck Series, Nationwide races and 500 miles later, Trevor Bayne ignited NASCAR and the motorsports community in a throwback David Pearson
Wood Brothers paint scheme. The wave of momentum that historic victory
created is still being felt. Simply put, the NASCAR that I fell in love
with as a child is back in full force. I grew up watching
the tail end of the Gordon/Earnhardt rivalry and the crowning of new champions in Dale Jarrett and Bobby Labonte.
I was fortunate enough to see
up-and-coming stars being built in the NASCAR
Nationwide S e r i e s with Brian Vickers and
Martin Truex Jr. winning titles. Now
a new generation of players has been es tab l i shed…Ky le Busch, Kahne, Hamlin and Johnson to name a few. With the new 43-1 points system NASCAR is easier than ever to get into and understand. New series champions will be crowned in NASCAR Nationwide and NASCAR Camping World Trucks, further establishing the next generation of stars.
After attending the first six races of the year and just about every other race after that, I can tell that the energy is back in the grandstands. Official Members are pumped to have the NASCAR that they love filled with compelling story lines to follow every week. The television ratings reflect this with positive, upward-trending numbers each and every week. With Danica Patrick, Travis Pastrana and Ricky Carmichael all trying their hand in NASCAR, the fan base is growing and becoming more engaged. The traditional stock car fan is being joined by extreme sports fans all watching the most traditional extreme sport….NASCAR!
As the season gets into its summer stretch this Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup is shaping up to be one of the most compelling since its inception in 2004. The two-team wild-card aspect and every position being worth a point will add to the already exciting Chase format.
I am honored to bring a little piece of that excitement to Members each and every week at the track. On behalf of the entire VIP team, we can’t wait to see you at the races!
NASCAR’s Got Its Mojo On!Big Open to ’11 Season Adds to Sport’s Energy
