By Caleb Whisler, Staff Writer
This past weekend at Richmond Raceway not only saw two Toyota drivers go into victory lane, but served as an appreciation weekend for fans who drive Toyota’s daily
The partnership between Toyota and Richmond Raceway began in 2013 under the leadership of Paul Doleshal, senior manager of motorsports marketing and assets. At the time, Toyota was looking at the schedule trying to find the right fit to have a weekend that they can call their own. That search resulted in a deal with Richmond Raceway.
“We were looking for a place where we could call home and own an event weekend. Richmond posed a great example for us to work with the local tracks and dealer and put together a great program,” Doleshal stated to Kickin’ The Tires.
A manufacturer claiming a race weekend as their own is not new in NASCAR. Throughout their tenure in NASCAR, Ford and Chevrolet have laid claim to certain race weekends throughout the weekend. The most notable manufacturer claim to a weekend is Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the final race of the NASCAR season.
Despite each manufacturer being a competitor on the track, the off-track story is different. According to Doleshal, each manufacturer gets along very well when it comes to at-track activation. That comradery in activation can be seen in the respect and space given when a different manufacturer has claim to a race weekend.
“At the end of the day, we are not doing anything spectacular but entertaining people, trying to get them to have a good time, and hopefully, that rubs off and they come buy our brand. We just try to all get along, have a good time and do the same thing which is entertain people,” Doleshal continued.
A successful race weekend for Toyota involves dealerships within the area to embrace the weekend. Local dealerships within the Richmond area provide vehicles, support and also assist in race weekend marketing through promoting the event itself or ticket giveaways.
The interaction with the local dealer is important for Toyota for choosing grand marshals, honorary starters or other dignitaries because they get decide who to honor.
“That interaction with the dealer is very important because they make that selection. Whoever really excelled, bought a lot of cars, a great service customer, or whoever they want to utilize, they get to select and honor that person for the weekend. They have a lot of interaction with us over the weekend,” Doleshal continued.
The weekend for Toyota began early as they were the presenting sponsor of the Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown at Langley Speedway. The efforts in the grassroots ranks of motorsports is a crucial part of Toyota’s operation. With their ties to the Midget, off-road, and super late-model world, Toyota uses those areas for two things: 1. The senior drivers love to go out and participate in those events and 2. It is a way to help cultivate new talent and drivers in heavier vehicles as they progress through the ranks.
Toyota also saw the event at Langley with Hamlin as a way to support their drivers and their philanthropic efforts, which sometimes goes unnoticed.
“We take pride in our guys, they may not always show it on the track, but they really have big hearts and they give back to the community in a lot of ways that people may not always see. When we can help promote those things and put them, they might not want to talk about it themselves a lot, but give them a little bit of visibility in the general market,” Doleshal stated.
“They are really doing good things for good people and we are just trying to help those things out. It is really a great cause.”
What do fans who drive Toyota’s get out of the weekend at Richmond? According to Doleshal, the opportunities for fans is long.
One of the opportunities Toyota offers is the Toyota Owner’s Hub. This hub allows for fans to get out of the sun, see private driver appearances, a bite to eat and the opportunity to experience a thrill ride. Toyota drivers also can receive a parking pass from local dealerships to park closer to the track. Fans who have a Toyota lanyard or key fob have an express lane to make getting into the track easier.
While enjoying the activities of the race weekend, Toyota has teams out in the parking lot checking the in the parking lot to make sure everything is safe. If there is a call for concern, the team member will put an offer on the car to have it serviced at a dealership.
As Toyota continues the sponsorship at Richmond Raceway, there is a constant evolution to make the fan experience better, whether it is making things more visible or new ideas.
“Somebody comes up with some wild idea, and they will talk me into doing it, so we do it. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t, but at least we gave it a shot,” Doleshal stated.
Doleshal mentioned that he was not a big fan of the Camry crew guys seen throughout the weekend when it was initially pitched. He thought it was hokey. However, those impressions changed when he saw the idea in action.
“The Camry crew that walks around, I was not a big fan of when it was initially pitched to me. I thought it was a little hokey, but the first time I saw fans engage with it, kids love it and even adults, want to get their pictures taken with it.
“It’s small things like that which aren’t a lot of costs, but they really impact a person’s memory of the event, of the weekend, and our brand. Those are the things that are intangible that you have to do to make this experience better.”
At the end of the day, the job of Toyota is sell cars and to help elevate the fan experience.
“That is our commitment to NASCAR and the tracks that we are partnered with is how do we help you make the sport better. When that happens, our purchase consideration goes up. People will go into the showrooms and buy our cars. We want a shot at that. The more we can do and fund different ways, we are going to try.”