Autograph collecting tips
I’ve been fortunate enough to meet several drivers over the years and they’ve always seemed happy to meet their fans. Most of the drivers I’ve met have been gracious enough to sign autographs for me, but there are many I’ve met that for various reasons I have not gotten an autograph, and that’s OK with me.
So, you want to get a driver’s autograph, but aren’t sure how to go about it? Let me give you a few suggestions.
If you’re fortunate enough to get garage or pit passes during a race weekend, there’s a pretty good chance you’ll get at least one autograph. A few words of advise though – don’t try to get an autograph when the driver is getting ready to qualify or just before the start of a race (most drivers are trying to get their minds in race mode and it’s really not a good idea to disturb them at this point). Please don’t try to ask them for an autograph while they’re on there way to the driver’s meeting, especially if they’re running late – you really don’t want to be the one responsible for sending your favorite driver to the back of the pack to the start race, do you?
Another great way to get an autograph is through a charity event. It could be through the driver’s own foundation or through another charity, such as the Speedway Children’s Charities (SCC). I’ve met many drivers throughout my years of volunteering with SCC. You may have to pay to get into some charity events, but getting a driver autograph this way also gives you a good feeling knowing you were helping out as well. I even heard at one charity event attended by Greg Biffle and David Ragan that they would only sign autographs that night if the recipient made a donation to the charity – their hands were pretty sore by the end of the night.
Probably the best way to get an autograph is through an autograph session. A lot of drivers will make an appearance at their souvenir haulers sometime during the race weekend (but check out the hauler early in the weekend to see if they’re requiring wrist bands or such and when the wrist bands will be distributed so you don’t miss out…most of them set a limit – remember, the drivers are really busy during race weekend).
A lot of tracks will host a multiple driver autograph session, especially for the Camping World Truck Series races. This is actually how I got my very first driver autographs (yep, got to meet Carl Edwards when he was still a rookie in the truck series). These sessions are usually set up for about 2 hours at a time, but be prepared to get there early because most will cut the line off at some point to make sure they don’t run over the time limit. At a multiple driver session, the drivers will usually have their hero cards there to sign for you, but most drivers are usually willing to sign another item you might bring for them (just don’t bring your entire collection with you).
There are people that will say a driver snubbed them when they asked them to sign something or they seemed like they were in too big of a hurry to care about what they were signing, but if you have a little common sense and respect when you’re trying to get a driver’s autograph, I’ll bet you’ll see things a little differently. A few examples – don’t hand Dale Jr (a Chevy driver) a huge Ford item and expect him to sign it; and seriously folks, Kyle Busch really doesn’t want to sign his big brother Kurt’s merchandise either.
One last piece of advice as you seek out a driver’s autograph: be polite…call them “Mr.” (or “Ms.”) and most importantly, remember to say thank you.
(5 votes, average: 3.20 out of 5)
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