The busy schedule that Luke Whitteker has endured over the past year continued on the weekend of January 21-22, as he traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina for the annual Performance PR Plus Driver Advancement Marketing Summit held on the site of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Whitteker arrived in Charlotte on Friday afternoon, and spent the day touring the Charlotte area which is the hub of the Stock Car Racing World with virtually all NASCAR race teams located in close proximity to the Queen City.
Killing some time during the day had endless possibilities.
Saturday was the first day of the Summit, and Whitteker and other aspiring racers listened to former NASCAR crew chief and current broadcaster Larry McReynolds talk to the group, as well as open wheel racer Townsend Bell, who opened a sponsorship coaching program in 2009 to help drivers, teams and sponsors maximize their sponsorship efforts.
After hearing stories, and sharing marketing tips from McReynolds and Bell, the group then met up with NASCAR superstar Jeff Gordon and retired driver Ricky Craven.
Craven was hosting a press event that would see the unveiling of Gordon’s 20th Anniversary edition Dupont car for the 2012 season.
“It was a very exciting event to be a part of. We listened to some old racing stories from a lot of great people, including Richard Petty,” says Whitteker. “It was nice to meet Jeff Gordon and Ricky Craven, and watch the event from the VIP area of Hendrick Motorsports.”
Kymberley Brantigan of Performance PR Plus hosted the annual event, along with veteran Marketing and PR Consultant and co-founder of the Race 101 Program.
Performance PR Plus is an organization most known for their handling of Public Relations for Jeff Gordon and Dupont Motorsports for the last 20 years.
Brantigan, along with Race 101 Marketing and PR consultant Anna-Marie Strawhand, hosted the two-day event.
After a great day with the summit, Whitteker and other racers got together for some go-kart racing at an indoor kart track in Mooresville, North Carolina. After a fun filled evening, the students returned back to Charlotte for a good rest, before returning for the final day of the summit.
On Sunday, Brantigan and Strawhand instructed the class on marketing, media and social networking. That was followed by an open discussion amongst the participants of the summit where they were able to make new connections.
Whitteker arrived back home late Sunday evening.
Performance PR Plus’s Annual Driver Advancement Marketing Summit is designed to provide valuable information and insight from industry professionals on topics that include obtaining sponsorship, driver development programs, stepping-stone racing series and how to use public relations, websites and social media to promote yourself and sponsors.
Speakers offer valuable information and answer any questions that attendees have about marketing themselves and the many off-track components necessary to have a realistic chance to advance, and what needs to be considered before making life-changing decisions around a career in motorsports.
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