NASCAR may have over thought its new driver?s championship rule.
How much affect will NASCAR?s new rule that allows drivers to compete for a championship in only one major touring series have on the sport?
2010 saw only two drivers make a run at the Nationwide Series title while also competing in The Sprint Cup series.� NNS [...]
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Photo of the Week: In Wheelies We Trust
MotoGP isn?t the only season about to get under way, and 2010 AMA Superbike champ Josh Hayes will trade his #4 for a #1 on his Graves Yamaha, as he sets out to defend the first title not owned by a Suzuki in…well, nearly too long to count after the dominance of Spies and Mladin. Hayes was the fastest superbike at the recent weather-plagued tire test at Daytona, but he is likely to face some ...
The Queen Of Social Media
You might not know her name or even her face. FOX, ESPN and TNT don't know she exists. She has never won a major NASCAR race. She does not live in North Carolina. She does not sacrifice her dignity in TV commercials. She does not have a rich family.
Yet, Jennifer Jo Cobb has some of the most loyal fans in NASCAR. Cobb races full time in the Camping World Truck Series and runs a limited schedule on the Nationwide side. Although she has not yet won, to many fans that is not important.
In a racing world of egos and millionaires, Cobb is a refreshing change. Since her entry into the truck series, Cobb has chronicled her NASCAR experiences firsthand. Using her marketing and journalism background, Cobb has sidestepped the mainstream NASCAR media and created a direct link with her fans.
There is perhaps no better example in NASCAR of someone who has used social media, amateur NASCAR blogs and the Internet to develop effective sponsor exposure and a strong fan base. All of this is necessary due to one well-known fact.
"No one covers trucks, they just don't," said a popular NASCAR journalist to me in November. The drivers who get the most attention on TV in the truck races are the cross-overs from the Sprint Cup Series. Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick are big draws when they race a truck. For a single truck team owner/driver like Cobb, there is simply little help with exposure from the NASCAR media.
Cobb's answer was to make it personal. She has a thriving community on Facebook of pages for both her race team and for herself as a driver. On Twitter, Cobb speaks easily with fans and has created lasting bonds with many. The Internet is full of NASCAR blogs with stories and features on Cobb.
Here are just a few. Click on the title to read the story.
Jennifer Jo Cobb Is Quietly Making A Name For Herself from Female Racing News.com in October.
Jennifer Jo Cobb's Big Night Out from Corrina B's World in November.
Women In NASCAR Series: Jennifer Jo Cobb from Skirts and Scuffs in October.
Beyond The Cockpit: Jennifer Jo Cobb from Frontstretch in April.
The bottom line is that there has never been a better time for a female driver to make inroads in the sport. Even with 50% of the fan base being female, it's apparent that Danica Patrick did not click with the stock car set.
Cobb has a racing heritage from the Kansas City area where her father still battles on the dirt at Lakeside Speedway. Unlike Danica, fans have been able to watch Cobb make her way into the sport and interact with her from the start.
We all know the big sponsors in NASCAR, but there is just something about an owner/driver who started out with sponsorship from the Kansas City T-Bones Baseball Club, Wagner's Collision Repair and Take-N-Bake Pizza. Cobb is old school and makes no bones about where she came from and where she wants to go.
This year, some help did come from SPEED. The network televises the Camping World Truck Series and featured Cobb dressed as Ginger in the annual Halloween pre-race show. It got Cobb some TV exposure, but more than that it showed her as someone who gets it. A driver not too self-important to poke fun at themselves.
Tuesday, Cobb continues to leverage her position in the sport by appearing on CNN. In the 10PM ET Anderson Cooper 360 show, Cobb will be talking about the very different lifestyle that she has chosen both on and off the track. It's ironic that during the dark time for NASCAR on TV, the only person getting national TV exposure is a mid-pack single team truck series owner/driver.
In February, Cobb is set to make another splash when she shows up in NASCAR 2011: The Game. The new official NASCAR video game offering will have Cobb in the #13 red Ford Fusion with her own racing apparel company on the hood as the sponsor. This will put Cobb on the track with the big boys on gaming systems around the world.
There are plenty of young female drivers currently lurking just outside the three major NASCAR series. There is little doubt that they are watching Cobb navigate her way through the sport in control of her own team with financial and management responsibility. In this changing economy, Cobb may just be laying down a blueprint for female drivers to follow in the future.
We welcome your comments on this topic. To add your opinion, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thanks for taking the time to stop by The Daly Planet.
NASCAR Pictures: 5 Time Jimmie Johnson
Photos of NASCAR Driver�& Sprint Cup Champ Jimmie Johnson
Say what you will about Jimmie Johnson, the man has talent and he long ago earned the right to be respected.� Now he has achieved an unprecidented five consecutive cup championships. In those five years, he has raced clean, has never been the in-your-face-asshole type, has always [...]
Say what you will about Jimmie Johnson, the man has talent and he long ago earned the right to be respected.� Now he has achieved an unprecidented five consecutive cup championships. In those five years, he has raced clean, has never been the in-your-face-asshole type, has always [...]
New Check-Box On NASCAR Driver Application
NASCAR may have over thought its new driver?s championship rule.
How much affect will NASCAR?s new rule that allows drivers to compete for a championship in only one major touring series have on the sport?
2010 saw only two drivers make a run at the Nationwide Series title while also competing in The Sprint Cup series.� NNS [...]
How much affect will NASCAR?s new rule that allows drivers to compete for a championship in only one major touring series have on the sport?
2010 saw only two drivers make a run at the Nationwide Series title while also competing in The Sprint Cup series.� NNS [...]
My 1st Trip to the NASCAR Hall of Fame
This past Saturday I finally got to make the trek to downtown Charlotte, NC for a visit to the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
This first time through I wanted to go strictly as a fan – not as a member of the “media.”� I wanted to just wander through with no agenda – not worried about [...]
This first time through I wanted to go strictly as a fan – not as a member of the “media.”� I wanted to just wander through with no agenda – not worried about [...]
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Dreams Do Come True For Brett Hudson
DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (January 18, 2011) – - Chuck Norris once said, ?Dreams do come true, if you want them bad enough. For Owensboro, Kentucky native Brett Hudson that statement could not have been more farther than the truth.
Last week, Brett Hudson and his Brett Hudson Motorsports (BHM) team participated in a three-day open test at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. After two and a half-days of testing, the team loaded up their hauler to make the trek back to Bluegrass State satisfied after Hudson impressed in his first superspeedway test session.
Under the leadership of former ARCA driver turned crew chief John Hayden, BHM unloaded Tuesday morning looking to get a good feeling on their No. 36b Dodge Charger. Utilizing some assistance from the 2008 ARCA Racing Series champion team of Allgaier Motorsports, it wasn?t hard to figure out that Hudson will be a sleeper heading into the season opener next month at Daytona.
Tuesday morning, the avid racecar driver posted the 12th fastest time. In the afternoon session, the team landed 21st out of 40 competitors who took to the daring restrictor plate track. Solid results in day one had the family-owned operation looking forward to day two.
Wednesday morning continued of single-car runs with Hudson in his Chrysler nameplate 19th on the sheets after 42 cars took their tango with the legendary race track. In the afternoon, ARCA Racing Series official opted to open the track to drafting with BHM taking a soft approach and keeping their focus on single-car runs but not ruling out dabbling a little in the drafting department.
Racing inches apart is nothing new to Hudson, but racing inches apart, three, four and sometimes five-wide at nearly 200 miles per hour is a whole new ball game for the 23-year old. Wrestling very little in the draft, Hudson was able to thrust his Dodge Charger into the 13th position after nailing a time of 48.834 seconds amounting to a speed of 184.298 miles per hour.
?Drafting was pretty cool,? explained Hudson, who plans to make his ARCA Racing Series debut from Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway next month. ?We have to concentrate on qualifying runs, because more than likely we?ll have to qualify on time. However, we knew we could not leave the track without doing some type of drafting. We wanted to make sure the car would ?suck up? to the other cars. It?s a good piece, that?s for sure.?
Before loading up and heading home, the team elected to spend Thursday morning doing a couple more single-car runs. During the three-hour session, Hudson maneuvered his No. 36 Brett Hudson Motorsports Dodge Charger around the track in 49.804 seconds at 180.708 miles per hour, landing just outside the top-10 in 11th, his highest position on the sheets.
Pleased with their results, the team opted out of the Thursday afternoon session and began their 13 hour ride home to Kentucky planning to piece together a game plan that would ensure Hudson the opportunity to cross off an item on his bucket list, racing at the ?World Center of Racing.?
?Overall, we?re very satisfied with the way the test went,? said Hudson, who has 21 ARCA Racing Series starts to his credits. ?We came to Daytona with really no big expectations in mind except to get a good feeling for the car and keep making improvements. We did that and more.?
He added, ?I have to thank John (Hayden, crew chief), Jared (Bartlett, car chief) and the entire BHM team for helping out at the test. John (Hayden) loves this restrictor plate racing and always has a great setup. I?m looking forward to coming back in less than a month and giving everyone else something to talk about.?
The Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona is the first of 19 races on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The first of two restrictor plate races this season is set for Saturday, February 12, 2011 slated for 4:00 p.m. live on SPEED.
Sponsorship opportunities are still available for the 2011 racing season. Interested parties are encouraged to contact Lisa Hudson of Brett Hudson Motorsports at 270.929.2160 or hudson00@adelphia.net.
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