Pressdog.com

Five Powerful Things
YOU can do to Help Sarah Fisher

By Bill Zahren
(Posted 9/27/04)

On Sept. 24 Fisher fans everywhere wept copious tears of joy as Sarah landed a ride in a NASCAR feeder league.

We all want Sarah to keep this ride, or quickly get others, but what can we do? We're just little Fisher fans in the big racing business ocean. Alone, we're limited. But together, we have the collective attendance, ratings points and purchasing power to make a splash for Sarah.

The key is to remember that teams and sponsors:

LOVE drivers who fill the stands.
LOVE drivers who help improve TV ratings points.
And REALLY LOVE drivers who increase sales for sponsors.

So, with that in mind, here are five easy things you can do to reward Bill McAnally Racing and NAPA Auto Parts for giving Sarah a shot.

1. Buy products from Sarah's sponsor. This is the big one. This is the bottom-line reason companies sponsor racers -- to stimulate sales. It was kind of tough to rush out and buy a $1,900 air conditioner from Bryant to reward them for sponsoring Sarah at Indy. But Sarah's main sponsor this time, NAPA Auto Parts, sells things we call can all buy today.

So the next time you need any auto parts or any car-care product, buy it at NAPA. It's crucial that you tell whoever rings up your purchase you're there because of Sarah Fisher. It seems a little awkward, but the cumulative effect of 5,000 people across the country saying, "I'm buying this here because NAPA is sponsoring Sarah Fisher," will start a buzz within NAPA.

If you're not a vocal kind of person, send a letter to the company that owns NAPA:

Genuine Parts
NAPA Marketing Department
2999 Circle 75 Pkwy.
Atlanta, Georgia 30339

Let them know you bought your upholstery cleaner or whatever at NAPA rather than at Target all because of Sarah Fisher, who NAPA is sponsoring in the NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series. Thank them for sponsoring her. Including a copy of your receipt to really make your point.

2. Attend the race. Butts in the seats always get attention. If you live near Phoenix International Raceway, go to the race on Oct. 3. Be sure you tell whoever sells you your ticket (whether on the phone or in person) that you're there to see Sarah Fisher. It's vital that you make a point of saying this right out loud. If just 500 fans say, "I'm here to watch Sarah Fisher race" that story will spread to the track management front office like wildfire.

Then give it one extra turn of wing by writing a letter to:

Scott Rovn
Director of Sales & Marketing
Phoenix International Raceway
455 North Third Street
Suite 340
Phoenix, AZ 85004-3940

Include your ticket stub or a copy of it. Keep it brief and make these points:

Identify yourself as a Fisher fan.
Say the main (or only) reason you attended the Subway 150 on Oct. 3 was to watch Sarah Fisher race.
Tell him how much you spent on tickets, parking and concessions while at the track.
Include a photocopy of your ticket!

Or toss Mr. Rovn e-mail at SRovn@phoenixinternationalraceway.com. Why do this? Because track management and racing league officials, team owners and sponsors talk all the time. The fantasy headline is "Fisher drives huge surge in PIR attendance."

If Sarah's participation causes even a 5% increase in attendance, people will notice. It's crucial that they credit Sarah for that attendance spike.

3. If the race is televised, watch it. If you get HDNet, watch the race on Oct. 3. Ratings points are an even bigger deal than track attendance because TV ratings are what generate huge money for big-time racing. If everyone who voted for Sarah as Most Popular Driver in the IRL suddenly watched her race on SPEED TV, channel executives will do the happy dance.

4. Visit some Web sites. Pop over to Bill McAnally Racing's site, www.billmcanallyracing.com/home.htm. Click around the NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series site, www.nascartouring.com/winstonwestseries and the Phoenix International Raceway site www.phoenixinternationalraceway.com. Web sites keep track of traffic. A huge spike after the Sarah announcement helps send the message that she has a lot of fans.

5. Send Bill McAnally Racing a note of thanks. Show Bill some love! Remember, NO SPAMMING ALLOWED. Keep it very short and sincere. Use the Contact Us link on the BMR racing site to send the team a note of thanks.

There. Five things you can do to help Sarah. So get over to NAPA today and buy some tire foam or something and let them know Sarah Fisher sent you.

Here's to seeing Sarah in victory lane.

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