Sunday, September 28, 2014

Ganassi’s #SoundGarage
Social Media Concert A Success

Performance at the #SoundGarage (photo by Pat McCarthy)
Performance at the #SoundGarage (photo by Pat McCarthy)

On 09/08/2014, the normal race equipment inside the Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) shop was moved about and replaced by a medium sized stage, microphones and a sound system. Chip Ganassi Racing invited three hundred social media and millennial* "influencers" to the event, featuring a show by singer Cassadee Pope. Pope won the singing competition, "The Voice" in December of 2012.

This exclusive happening was hosted by CGR's trio of hot young drivers: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Larson, NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Dylan Kwasniewski and INDYCAR driver Sage Karam. FOX Sports 1 personality Kaitlyn Vincie served as emcee.

From @kaitlynvincie Twitter Feed-  On stage w/@dylankracing @SageKaram @KyleLarsonRacin for @CGRTeams #SoundGarage.
“The Ganassi Sound Garage event was one of the most unique events I've ever attended at a race shop. Ms. Vincie stated. “The goal was to create a social media digital-bash that would bring new fans of the millennial generation to racing. I think that young drivers like Dylan Kwasniewski, Kyle Larson, and Sage Karam are a perfect fit to usher in this new age of fans. The young generation can identify with them. Our sport needs to reach that young demographic to help bring in a new wave of life-long fans . . . and I think those three drivers can help make it happen. It was very neat to see all the social media interaction with the guests and drivers along with country recording artist Cassadee Pope, you could tell everyone was having a good time. I am grateful I was able to be a small part of it!"

A distinctive “reverse" red carpet was utilized for the event. This meant, to the delight of the guests, they were greeted by the drivers as the guests entered. The fans were also treated to photo opts, and engaged in a question & answer session.

Chip presenting the Owner of Big Machine Records a gift of remembrance from the Brickyard #42 car  (photo by American Syndicate )
Chip presenting the Owner of Big Machine Records a gift
of remembrance from the Brickyard #42 car (photo by American Syndicate )

When the Monday event was over, the big boss, Chip Ganassi, had succeeded in showing the fans just how important they are to his organization.

NASCAR Race Mom was able to speak to Dylan Kwasniewski while he was waiting for his bags at the LAX baggage claim. The nineteen-year-old was in town for a meeting with his sponsor Rockstar.

“I thought Sound Garage went great; we had Cassadee Pope playing. I watched her when she was on the voice.” Dylan detailed. “It was a fun time and went fantastically, especially for the first time. The biggest deal was that we were trying to get a big social media push, which we did. I think we were ‘trending’ in North Carolina at the time of the concert.”

During the event, Kwasniewski showed off his lip singing talents, line dancing abilities and his humor with the microphone.

@sagekaram @kylelarson42 @dylankracing having a little fun at Ganassi #SoundGarage.
Dylan Kwasniewski’s favorite part of the Sound Garage was interacting with the fans; taking photos with them and just having fun. He appreciated the opportunity to take a closer look at his fan base and being more personal with them. Intermingling with the event attendees gave fans the rare occasion to witness his more private side.

For those who did not attend, the concert was streamed live on NASCAR.com.

 The official event hashtag, #SoundGarage was Trending Topic for eleven hours in Charlotte.

“I had a great time hosting and having fun with the fans that came out to the event. We wanted to get the people that Kyle, Sage and I hung out with outside of racing to get involved with the sport of Indy Car and NASCAR. I hope that we can do it again soon.” added Dylan, who is currently twelfth in the NASCAR Nationwide Point Standings in his rookie year.

A fun Kwasniewski fact: The Luxury Item Dylan indulges in? With a chuckle, he quickly answered that clothes and shoes is what he spends his “race earnings” on. Currently, his favorite brand of shoes are called R&R – they have Nike soles. 

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*A millennial, also known as Generation Y are the demographic cohort following Generation X. There are no precise dates when the generation starts and ends. However, researchers and commentators use birth years ranging from the early 1980s to the early 2000s. 


About Chip Ganassi Racing Teams

Chip Ganassi has been a fixture in the auto racing industry for over 25 years and is considered one of the most successful as well as innovative owners the sport has anywhere in the world. Today his teams include four cars in the Verizon IndyCar Series, two cars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and one Prototype in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. Overall his teams have 17 championships and 160 victories, including four Indianapolis 500s, a Daytona 500, a Brickyard 400, five Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. Ganassi boasts state-of-the-art race shop facilities in Indianapolis and Brownsburg, Ind. and Concord, N.C., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh, PA.

*Disclosure: This post has been submitted to a NASCAR sponsored program.

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