Billy Venturini Guest Speaker at NASCAR Hall of Fame Event

Topics:  Billy Venturini, NASCAR Hall of Fame

Emily Teeter
Venturini Motorsports
November 12, 2010

CHARLOTTE, NC (11/12/10) The fourth annual Driver Advancement Marketing Summit to be held at the NASCAR Hall of Fame January 22 – 23, 2011, provides a rare opportunity for aspiring drivers to get in front of motorsports industry leaders who provide real world information and advice about what it takes to attain success in racing today.

Race team executives, sponsors, former drivers, crew chiefs, broadcasters, and marketing and public relations professionals will speak. They include NASCAR’s two-time NASCAR champion Ned Jarrett, Bank of America’s Ray Bednar, Pat Perkins of Hendrick Motorsports, Larry McReynolds, who served as crew chief for Davey Allison and Dale Earnhardt and is now a television commentator, and Billy Venturini, general manager of Venturini Motorsport’s ARCA team that serves as one of the premier NASCAR driver development teams in the country.

In addition to the single-speaker format, a panel discussion focusing on sponsorship and other topics relevant to drivers looking to advance their motorsports careers will be led by NASCAR historian and Hall of Fame curator Buz McKim. Also, attendees will be able to take a guided tour of the hall.

“We’re really excited about taking this year’s summit to the next level” said Kymberly Brantigan, summit host and president of Performance PR Plus. “Moving to the NASCAR Hall of Fame and having a legend like Ned Jarrett, who was considered a pioneer in the early ‘60’s as the first driver to take the Dale Carnegie course and trade in his greasy T-shirt for a suit to become a professional representative of his sport, is really exciting and really the basis of what the summit is all about.

“And to have him sit beside Ray Bednar, who is the senior vice president and global sponsorship marketing executive for Bank of America, Pat Perkins, vice president of marketing for Hendrick Motorsports, and Larry McReynolds should produce fascinating conversation and provide a lot of useful information for attendees. The panel will discuss the state of the sport today and what sponsors seek in corporate spokespersons and sports properties.”

Additional summit topics include: What driver development programs at the upper levels are all about; what drivers need to do “off the track” to attract and retain sponsors, and how to use social networking and public relations to add value for sponsors.

“‘It’s all about the money,’ is what we hear from drivers who wish talent was enough to launch their careers,” said Brantigan. “And in an expensive and sponsor-driven sport, it takes a significant amount to get to the next level from the current level.

“We know it’s difficult and there are no easy answers. Asking drivers and their parents to pay large retainers, promising them sponsorship and not delivering, or having them put their life savings into that one race on a wing and a prayer are not good choices. Our answer is to provide straightforward information so drivers and families are able to make better decisions and not unknowingly go down the wrong path.”

With no shortage of young drivers looking to advance through the ranks in motorsports -- now more than ever -- drivers need every advantage they can get to create opportunities for themselves.

“If you’re an actor looking to make it in Hollywood, you have no way of knowing what it’s going to be like or what the journey entails unless somebody who has been there explains it to you,” Brantigan said. “Our speakers are the people who are and have been there and are now here to talk about their experiences to help make the journey smoother and better understood.”

For more information about the Driver Advancement Marketing Summit, scheduled speakers, special hotel pricing for attendees and to register for the summit, please visit www.performanceprplus.com or call 704-377-8727.