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Truckin’ with driver Rick Crawford
While the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series monopolizes most of my time, there are a couple of times each year when other things take center stage. This is one of those weeks.
Instead of being in Daytona for this weekend’s Coke Zero 400, I’m working on some media relations efforts around the upcoming NASCAR Camping World Series Built Ford Tough 225 at Kentucky Speedway on July 18. The first phase took place Wednesday in Cincinnati, where a luncheon and Cincinnati Reds baseball game sandwiched a series of advance print, radio and television interviews featuring Rick Crawford, driver of the No. 14 Ford F-150 for Circle Bar Racing.
What makes the Camping World Series so valuable is that 60 percent of people who bought an F-Series truck last year consider themselves a race fan, according to a recent Ford Racing marketing study. When you take into account that F-Series has been the best-selling vehicle in America for 27 straight years and the top-selling truck for 32 consecutive years, you realize the significance of being involved in this sport.
The day started bright and early with a 5:30 a.m. wake-up call (2:30 Vegas time) at my house in Winston-Salem, N.C., and then the 90-minute drive to Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, where I met Rick for our 9:45 a.m. flight to Cincinnati.
I read him his Miranda Rights when we got to our seats and told him that “anything you say can and will be used against you in my blog for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.”
Rick sat in the window seat and spent most of the one-hour flight intently thumbing through his flight instruction manual in preparation for a series of student-pilot tests that he hopes will end with him getting certified. I quietly read through the USA Today, which included an insightful article by Nate Ryan on NASCAR’s fan base.
After landing and getting our Ford Mustang rental car, we made the 20-minute drive from the airport to downtown Cincinnati, where Kentucky Speedway media relations director Tim Bray and his staff organized a luncheon at the Montgomery Inn Boathouse with key media from Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.
When it comes to functions of this nature there are few drivers better than Rick.
First, he mentioned “how great it is to be driving the 2009 Motor Trend Truck of the Year – the Ford F-150.” Then he moved on and talked about how the track at Kentucky Speedway is “aged to perfection and is going to put on a great show for the fans.” The biggest roar, however, came during a group session with local television affiliates when he told one reporter that he could sell him a Ford by the end of the day if he gave him a chance.
After a couple more radio interviews later in the afternoon, it was off to Great American Ballpark where Rick threw out the first pitch before the hometown Reds hosted Arizona. Only after throwing what would generously be called a high strike did he admit to practicing the day before, but it worked because Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker was so impressed he autographed the ball afterwards.
While I don’t think the Reds are planning on offering him a contract anytime soon, Rick can lay claim to having something in common with one of Major League Baseball’s all-time greats — that being both he and former home run king Hank Aaron are members of the Mobile (Ala.) Sports Hall of Fame.
A television interview on the Reds network and then a trip to the radio booth for a few minutes with Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Brennaman ended the work portion of the day. From there, I introduced Rick to what a Skyline Chili Dog was and we watched the Reds post a thrilling 1-0 victory.
By the time we got back to our hotel the clock read 10:10. That seemed appropriate because if we had to rate the day on a scale from 1 to 10, both of us would have scored it the same way.
To learn more about Ford Racing, please log on to www.fordracing.com. If you would like an opportunity to win a trip for two to Ford Championship Weekend and a 2010 Ford Fusion, please go to www.weraceyouwin.com and register today.
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