DAYTONA BEACH, FL – ASA Member Tracks and Series have embraced today’s social media and many are using it as a major resource to communicate to their own individual communities.
Today, all ASA Member Tracks and Series have a Facebook page while over half have a Twitter account.
The positive thing about social media is that it is free to set up an account and start using it right away. The challenge with both Facebook and Twitter is getting people to follow you. Some are already having success as they have from 3,000 to over 5,000 followers on Facebook alone.
Many ASA Member Tracks and Series promoters are either updating their social media pages or are relying on their Public Relations Directors to help get their audience to grow. Each track and series has their own thoughts about how they use Facebook and Twitter.
“Facebook and Twitter have been a great help to us at ACE Speedway with getting more interaction with fans and much more,” Tyler Williams, Announcer/Public Relations Director at the ASA Member Track in Altamahaw, NC said. “Back in January of 2010 we maybe had a couple hundred people on our Facebook page, now we're at over 5,000 fans on the track Facebook page and it grows everyday. For us it’s a great way to get news out quickly, and also to get invaluable feedback from the fans. It’s the fans that keep us going and with Facebook and twitter we are more in touch with our fans than ever before.”
Williams made some personal sacrifices to get the 5,275 followers they have today. “The key to getting the number to grow was being active daily on the page, it’s not enough to be on there once a week and only post event info. To help grow the fans we frequently pose questions to the fans along with promoting track events etc.,” Williams said. “Also we rewarded our Facebook fans with specials. When we got 2000 Facebook fans, I wore a suit to the racetrack to announce for one of our Friday night events. When we got to 4000 fans, I let some drivers cut my hair into a Mohawk on the front stretch during pre-race ceremonies. When we hit 5000 fans, I participated in a race in our Extreme division. Also, we've done V.I.P. Ticket giveaways thru the Facebook page along with using it to help determine our "Most Popular Driver" award and promoting sponsors who support our Racing Events.”
Adam Nelson, Promoter of Meridian Speedway, an ASA Member Track in Meridian, ID, gained over 4,000 followers by free ticket promotions and also making sure they don’t go over the top on their Facebook page. “We do ticket promotions on Facebook. They have to ‘Like’ us or be a friend to have access to the free tickets that are available from time to time,” Nelson said. “Plus, we don’t over post. People tend to un-friend you so they don’t have to see the extra items you are posting about or dislike.” Typically on race day, Nelson posts a photo of Meridian’s pits with a reminder of what time the racing action starts that night.
Wayne Brevik, Promoter of Marshfield Motor Speedway, an ASA Member Track in Marshfield, WI, finds that Facebook is a great way to get updated information out to his competitors and fans. "Facebook has become a quick way for us to post updates on our events, rules, meetings and more," Brevik said. "With access to Facebook and Twitter on computers and mobile devices, the updates are instant and quick."
Ethan Fields recently took over the Public Relations duties at Lonesome Pine Raceway, an ASA Member Track in Coeburn, VA. Within 24 hours, Fields created a new look for the track’s website (www.thepineraceway.com) which promoted their social media. “We have already seen a 500 friend increase on the LPR Facebook page,” Fields said. “By constantly updating statuses, creating engaging competitions, uploading pictures and videos, and using friends of friends to network with people from all over the nation, LPR and other businesses are likely to see a substantial growth.”
Hunter Thomas, Public Relations Director at Dillon Motor Speedway, an ASA Member Track in Dillon, SC, has a unique promotion on Facebook. "Throughout the season we posted a secret Facebook word on our page,” Thomas said. “The fans that came to the ticket office on race day received a discount of some sort if they said the right word. We used this tactic throughout the season to gauge about how many fans were looking at our page."
Thomas even has gone out on USTREAM to do live pre-race coverage before an event at Dillon Motor Speedway. "On Labor Day, we hosted our very first pre-race show on USTREAM,” Thomas recalled. “The day before the race, we uploaded a video that showed a tour of the pit area as well as a few quick comments from random drivers. On the day of the race, Andy Locklair and I interviewed teammates Cody McKenzie and Mike Watts. After the interviews were complete, I took another tour of the pit area and interviewed several drivers and crew members." Thomas did say they had nearly 350 views of the broadcast that day.
How was Thomas able to do this? By simply having access to a wi-fi, or a good 3G network, and using the USTREAM app on his smartphone.
One thing that is unique and helpful for the tracks and series is how Facebook and Twitter interface with each other. For many, all they need to do is post on one of the social media sites and that posting instantly appears on the other. A posting on Facebook will appear on their Twitter or vice versa.
Twitter limits posts to 140 characters which is great for someone who wants to get quick and easy updates during their busy workday.
“There is a unique comparison about social media and short track racing. The comparison can be summed up with one word, community,” Dennis Huth, ASA President said. “Short track racing became popular through word of mouth. The interest grew when fans shared the excitement and entertainment they saw at their local short tracks. Now we have traditional media to help promote short track racing to new fans and social media is another forum for fans to follow their favorite ASA Member Track and Series. Social Media is today’s word of mouth. You see a friend follow a track/series, it peaks your interest and you start to follow it as well. This is growing and it is great to see how our ASA Member Tracks and series are using it to help promote their ASA sanctioned events.”
To learn more about the ASA Member Tracks and Sanctioned Series in your area, please visit www.asa-racing.com. Follow ASA Racing on Facebook at www.facebook.com/american.speed.assocand on Twitter at @amerspeedassoc.
You can also look for the nearest ASA Member Track, get the weekend schedule, ASA Series information right on your smartphone by downloading the ASA Racing App for the iPhone and Android phones for free. Just search for ASA Racing on iTunes and the Android Market and get the app today for FREE!
The American Speed Association started as a single racing series in 1968 and is a fast growing racing sanctioning body today. The ASA Member Track program sanctions dirt and asphalt short tracks along with road courses around the United States, as well as a variety of regional and national touring series. For more information call (386) 258-2221, or send an email to
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. The latest news and information from all the racetracks and tours involved in the ASA can be found by visiting www.ASA-Racing.com.
ASA®, ASA Racing®, American Speed Association® are registered trademarks of Racing Speed Associates, LLC.
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