2015 Chili Bowl Nationals Driver Twitter Handles

If you’re a sprint car racing fan, there’s no doubt that you’re tuning in to the Chili Bowl Nationals this week. Here is a list of Twitter handles for the 2015 Chili Bowl Nationals drivers based on the pre-entry list. They are arranged by car number, and bolded entries are updates or additions from the 2014 list. GO – Kip Hughes – none 0 – Johnny Murdock – none 00 – Cole Custer – @colecuster00 0B – Billy Melton – none 0G – Glenn Styres – @GlennStyres 0K – Don O’Keefe Jr – @DOK_LOKENT 0T – Tyler Brehm – @TylerBrehm 05 – Brad Loyet – @LoyetMotorsport 05H – Justin Hendricks – none 05T – Gary Taylor – @garytaylorGT  05W – Kenny Wallace – @Kenny_Wallace 1 – Sammy Swindell – @1SAM91 1B Bobby Brewer  – None 1JR – Stevie Sussex III –@Sussex45 1OU – AJ Burns – none 1P – Terry Nichols – none 1PW – Paul White – none 1ST – J.J. Yeley – @jjyeley1 1T – Tony Roney – none 1W – Mike Wheeler – none 2 Ryan Hall – none 2$ – Stuart (Stu) Snyder – @bbodfield 2A – C.J. Leary – @CJ_Leary_30 2B – Ryan Bernal – @bernal_ryan 2D – Steve Davis – none 2H – Robert Harr – none 2HH – Nathan Benson – none 2J – Ryan Leavitt – @RyanLeavitt22 2K  – Kyle Jones – none 2M – Seth Motsinger – @sethmotsinger44 2ND – Jeb Sessums – none 2X – Charlie McDonald – none 3 – Shane Cottle – @shanecottle2e 3A – Chris Andrews – @chrisandrews16c 3C – Raven Culp – @CulpRacing3 3FF – Jake Blackhurst – @j_blackhurst25 3M – Mike Fulper – none 3N – Jake Neuman – none 3T – Tim Barber – none 4 –...

How to Nip Controversy in the Bud (Plus Mob Justice.)

I came across a post the other day from the ultra-brilliant Seth Godin on mob justice and it got my gears turning – especially in light of the recent controversy in the sprint car world between two series’ and comments that were allegedly made to a reporter. In this post from 2005, Godin lays out one of the side effects of media in which the readers can also comment back publicly: 1. Controversy is fun to write 2. Controversy is fun to read 3. Piling on is safe and fun 4. Undoing 1, 2 and 3 is no fun, hard work and easy to avoid. Fueling controversy, he argues, is like ‘mob justice’ – when someone decides to “spread a rumor, a posse would appear, ask no questions, beat the crap out of you and move on.” He continues: “A friend of mine is now in a similar situation (and, as Arlo Guthrie famously said, “you may find yourself in a similar situation…”). And the question is, what should he do. If he takes the time to point out to those bloggers that they’re wrong, that they’ve taken one data point and blown it out of proportion while ignoring the facts (and there are many facts that they’ve ignored) he’s just adding fuel to the fire. “Of course you’ll deny it,” they’ve said to him on the phone, “that just proves we’re right”.” If you’re reading this and thinking, ‘Well that sucks!’ Then I’d have to agree with you and Seth. Because whether or not you said the thing or did the deed, you’ll be called a liar. There’s...

Consistency Wins Championships (and Other Fun Things. Like Money.)

“Bad marketing done consistently will beat good marketing done inconsistently.” – I’m not sure who said it, or even where I first read it, but I like it. A lot. It’s a good reminder to me that just showing up consistently is more than most people will do. On every level of racing, there are champions. Championships are designed to name and reward the best performer over the course of a season. How many times, though, have you seen or heard someone gripe about a champion who didn’t win that many races? That’s why championships can be so controversial, and why NASCAR in particular has struggled with how to determine a champion over the last decade. We all know that consistency is the key to winning championships, even if that means you rarely, if ever, see the top of the podium. In racing, I get that. But for me, this ‘consistent bad marketing’ principle can be frustrating. And eye-opening. Because while I’m toiling away, whittling every sentence to perfection, other people are showing up more often. See, I’m a perfectionist. A lot of times, this is a great thing. My clients especially love it. But some times it slows me down, waiting to release things or submit a piece of work until every little detail is perfect. (By the way, I’m not trying to say that others are doing bad marketing and I’m doing good – often, we’re just different. In fact, that’s DirtyMouth in a nutshell. The reason that I created my business and started publishing (free!) content here is that in many ways, I don’t think we do...

2014 Knoxville Nationals Driver Twitter Handles

If you’re a sprint car racing fan, there’s no doubt that you’re tuning in to the Knoxville Nationals this week. Below is the annual updated list of Twitter handles that I’ve been doing each year. This list includes drivers on Knoxville’s pre-entry list and their Twitter handles, broken into groups based on their qualifying night as of Tuesday, August 6th. New drivers or drivers that have joined twitter since the 2013 list have been noted in bold. Wednesday Qualifiers (by car number): 0 Bud Kaeding – @bud_kaeding 1 Sammy Swindell – @1sam91 1a Jacob Allen – @JacobAllen1a 1D Justin Henderson – @Henderson_racin 2 Shane Stewart – @ShaneStewart_2 2K Kevin Ingle – none 4J Lee Grosz – @leegrosz 4s Danny Smith – none 4x Dakota Hendrickson – @dakota_joshua o5 Brad Loyet – @LoyetMotorsport 5V Colby Copeland – @ColbyCopeland5v 7 Craig Dollansky – @dollanskyracing 7s Jason Sides – @SidesMotorsport 7TAZ Tasker Phillips – @tazphillips7 7x Critter Malone – none 9 Daryn Pittman – @darynpittman 9w Jac Haudenschild – @Haudenschild_R 11K Kraig Kinser – @kraigkinser11k 11N Randy Hannagan – @hurricanerhr 12 Lynton Jeffrey – @lyntonjeffrey 12P TJ Peterson – none 13 Mark Dobmeier – @dobmeierracing 15 Donny Schatz – none 18T Tony Bruce Jr – @tonybrucejr 19 Bobby Weuve – none 19L Jason Tostenson – none 19P Paige Polyak – @paigepolyak 20 AJ Moeller – none W20 Greg Wilson – @GregWilsonw20 27 Greg Hodnett – @GregHodnett 28 Brian Paulus – @mpaulus28 (PR) 29w Danny Dietrich III – @dannydietrich 31B Christopher Bell – @CBellRacing21 39c Travis Rilat – @TravisRilat29 40 Caleb Helms – @HelmsRacing40 44W Austen Wheatley – @austenwheatley 45 Tim Shaffer –...

Stories Matter. (Especially in Racing.)

Last night, we were fortunate enough to be able to attend the Lou Blaney Memorial at Sharon Speedway. Having grown up watching Lou and my uncle, Brian Swartzlander, go toe-to-toe for years in our local modified division, I’m happy to be able to be a part of an event that honors him every year. It’s probably not surprising that Lou’s hotshoe sons, Dave and Dale, were able to dominate the field and earned first and second place honors, respectively. Dave started in the third position and it was clear from early on that he had the car to beat. From the moment Dave took the green, and then the lead on lap six, I noticed most fans with their eyes darting back and forth between the brothers’ cars, watching to see what line they would take and what potential struggle lapped traffic would give them. Dale made his way into second place on lap 15 but didn’t give his teammate a challenge. That didn’t stop most from keeping their eyes glued to the pair, following the action and giving a rousing ovation at the finish. Watching that race, and watching the fans’ reaction, it was really clear how much of the excitement of racing is tied to a story. Yes, Dave’s impressive performance would have been entertaining whether or not he was Lou’s son. But the added hook of racing against his brother to win the race held in his father’s honor – for the first time, no less – was enough to keep everyone on their edge of their seats. Talking to drivers and crew in the pits...

Sponsorship Activation: Earning Your Money (and a Long-Term Partner)

Since we’re about mid-way through racing season (insert tears here), I thought now would be a good time to talk about something we all should be doing right now: sponsorship activation. But what does that even mean, you ask. I will tell you, obviously, because we are friends and you asked. Sponsorship activation is bringing your marketing partnership to life. Ultimately, the goal of a sponsorship is to achieve specific business goals, whether that’s increasing product sales, getting exposure to another business or businesses, or obtaining community buy-in for a message or project. ‘Activating’ a sponsorship means using the assets you promised to give your marketing partner to achieve those goals.  It means taking action. Many companies have been turned off by the notion of racing sponsorship because of the past, when it was business as usual to slap a logo on a car and cash a check. That model rarely, if ever, works anymore – logos don’t move product. And that’s where sponsorship activation comes in. Ways to activate a racing sponsorship: Social media Offers or giveaways of partner products Unique or exclusive content for your marketing partner’s audience Support your marketing partner’s activation efforts (ex. Take photos of their advertising campaigns or PR placements for your social media accounts.) Brainstorm ideas for your marketing partner to activate Truth be told, it’s on both the person being sponsored and the brand sponsoring them to activate a sponsorship. After all, it is a partnership. That’s why it’s also important to explain to a sponsor up front that there are costs that aren’t included in their agreement with you that...