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Nitro Member
Just wondering if any of you have learned anything from the JFR press conference. It was touted as a major announcement and a big deal. Many on this and other boards said “So what? Ashley is going to drive a Funny Car, everybody knows that”. Well, everybody didn’t know it. JFR could have just issued a press release stating what we now know and we would have continued on with our lives. I’m sure it would have been a front page story on NHRA.com, and Drag Race Central, but other than that where do you think it would be seen?
What they did was to tell everyone that a big announcement was coming at 1:00 PM on the 16th and to check it out. They also went to considerable time and effort and expense to do it right. They put on a VERY NICE lunch, opened the shop completely to the media. And I do mean completely, no door was closed, from John’s private office to the recording studio, to the machine shop, it was an open house. And that doesn’t happen everyday (or ever). They had media members, sponsor VIP’s, Tom Compton and a couple of NHRA VP’s, as well as Chris Lopez from PowerAde. They had real racecars on display in the parking lot, from the time you drove in, you knew that this wasn’t just another day at the office. There were cameras and crews from the local news stations, a crew from FOX Sports, the crew from Driving Force. And a live satellite feed going out during the announcement. Inside there was audio and video running throughout the shop, and all in all it was a first class deal. And yes, I was there.
The morning started with John and Ashley doing interviews during the couple of hours leading up to the scheduled starting time. And then lunch was served and the announcement ceremony began. It went off like a Castrol oiled machine. John spoke, Tom Compton spoke, Lori Ann from Castrol spoke, and then Ashley took the stage. It was a day about Ashley and she was the star of the show. She spoke of growing up in the sport, and of the desire to do this someday, she was funny, and she was serious. She was focused and she wandered a bit (sound like anyone you know?). She introduced her crew and her Crew Chief. Then there were photos and a national tele-conference, one on one interviews and more photos and it ended with Ashley doing Joe Costello’s Power Shift on XM satellite radio at about 6 PM.
The end result, a spot on Sportscenter, and on FOX Sports Update. Front page on AOL, and YAHOO, I have no idea how many local and regional spots, newspaper stories and more. In the last couple of years, we (NHRA Drag Racing) have gone places where we have never gone before. Erica has opened doors; Melanie has received recognition from people that probably had never heard of Drag Racing before. J.R. Todd has brought major attention to our sport. And Ashley is off on the right foot. To the Drag Racing world it was confirmation of what was pretty much a given. To the real world, it was the MAJOR NEWS STORY that it was built up to be. That’s why it was done like it was. If you saw it and said “I knew that” congratulations, you’re a hard core fan, But If you are surprised about all the mainstream places that the story showed up, maybe now you have a better understanding of why things are done like they are. You have to admit that when a media savvy guy like Will Hanna says “Holy Crap! It’s on AOL” that JFR did a good job.
And it’s not over yet, tomorrows (the 19th) USA Today is the next step.
Alan
What they did was to tell everyone that a big announcement was coming at 1:00 PM on the 16th and to check it out. They also went to considerable time and effort and expense to do it right. They put on a VERY NICE lunch, opened the shop completely to the media. And I do mean completely, no door was closed, from John’s private office to the recording studio, to the machine shop, it was an open house. And that doesn’t happen everyday (or ever). They had media members, sponsor VIP’s, Tom Compton and a couple of NHRA VP’s, as well as Chris Lopez from PowerAde. They had real racecars on display in the parking lot, from the time you drove in, you knew that this wasn’t just another day at the office. There were cameras and crews from the local news stations, a crew from FOX Sports, the crew from Driving Force. And a live satellite feed going out during the announcement. Inside there was audio and video running throughout the shop, and all in all it was a first class deal. And yes, I was there.
The morning started with John and Ashley doing interviews during the couple of hours leading up to the scheduled starting time. And then lunch was served and the announcement ceremony began. It went off like a Castrol oiled machine. John spoke, Tom Compton spoke, Lori Ann from Castrol spoke, and then Ashley took the stage. It was a day about Ashley and she was the star of the show. She spoke of growing up in the sport, and of the desire to do this someday, she was funny, and she was serious. She was focused and she wandered a bit (sound like anyone you know?). She introduced her crew and her Crew Chief. Then there were photos and a national tele-conference, one on one interviews and more photos and it ended with Ashley doing Joe Costello’s Power Shift on XM satellite radio at about 6 PM.
The end result, a spot on Sportscenter, and on FOX Sports Update. Front page on AOL, and YAHOO, I have no idea how many local and regional spots, newspaper stories and more. In the last couple of years, we (NHRA Drag Racing) have gone places where we have never gone before. Erica has opened doors; Melanie has received recognition from people that probably had never heard of Drag Racing before. J.R. Todd has brought major attention to our sport. And Ashley is off on the right foot. To the Drag Racing world it was confirmation of what was pretty much a given. To the real world, it was the MAJOR NEWS STORY that it was built up to be. That’s why it was done like it was. If you saw it and said “I knew that” congratulations, you’re a hard core fan, But If you are surprised about all the mainstream places that the story showed up, maybe now you have a better understanding of why things are done like they are. You have to admit that when a media savvy guy like Will Hanna says “Holy Crap! It’s on AOL” that JFR did a good job.
And it’s not over yet, tomorrows (the 19th) USA Today is the next step.
Alan