1. IndyCar Series Fan Experience amplifies excitement of IRL IndyCar Series racing
2. Chesson returns with Genoa Racing
3. Roy Jones Jr., Tara Reid named grand marshal, honorary starter for Toyota Indy 300
1. IndyCar Series Fan Experience amplifies excitement of IRL IndyCar Series racing: The IndyCar Series Fan Experience, the one-of-a-kind, interactive mobile entertainment experience that has touched more than 3.2 million people since 2003, returns for its third season-long, country-wide tour in 2005.
Designed to bring fans of all ages closer to the excitement of the IRL IndyCar® Series, the IndyCar Series Fan Experience is divided into four properties – Pole Position, Tech, Live and Pit Stop Challenge. All four properties travel to race markets throughout the season to create a carnival of sight, speed and sound at the racetrack each weekend.
“The Fan Experience is one of many programs employed by the Indy Racing League designed to create brand awareness to drive attendance and television viewership and is one of the largest traveling fan exhibits of any sports property in terms of numbers of locations and event days,” said Bill Long, vice president of marketing for the Indy Racing League. “It has made more than 600 appearances in each of its previous two years, providing more fans the opportunity to experience the sport in an interactive way.”
Each Fan Experience property uniquely amplifies the excitement of the IndyCar Series to the public. Fans can experience what it is like to be an IndyCar Series driver or crew member and learn about the cars in an entertaining fashion.
One of the most popular attractions is Pole Position, a high-performance mobile racing simulator using real IndyCar Series cars that allow fans to drive their favorite driver’s car around their favorite tracks. A new aspect of the attraction is a contest which gives a simulator to the driver who posts the fastest time.
Another popular element is Pit Stop Challenge, which offers fans a hands-on experience at servicing a real IndyCar Series race car. Fans can test their skills at changing tires, refueling the car or learn about the sport at the interactive war wagon.
Live is a mobile trailer that unfolds to form a stage area with canopy. The stage will offer concerts by top-name recording artists, fan forums and post-race question and answer sessions with teams and drivers.
The newest property is Tech. Offering a wide variety of sponsor displays, the Tech is designed to “wow’ fans of all ages while bringing the excitement and intricacy of the pits and garage away the track.
“Fans will be entertained and in-the-know about the sport they love, and our goal is to continually find new ways to exceed their expectations,” Long said.
The IndyCar Series Fan Experience is a joint project of the Indy Racing League and ignition Inc., an Atlanta-based experiential marketing agency. It has been recognized as one of the best experiential marketing properties by Event Marketing Magazine and the Atlanta Sports Council.
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2. Chesson returns with Genoa Racing: Note – The following story is part of a series previewing each of the teams competing in the IRL Menards Infiniti Pro Series™
Genoa Racing, a team with a winning history, will look to driver P.J. Chesson, a three-time winner in the Menards Infiniti Pro Series in 2004, to take it back into Victory Circle in 2005.
Genoa Racing, formed by California businessman Angelo Ferro in 1983, competed in the Menards Infiniti Pro Series in 2002 and 2003. Ryan Hampton earned the team’s first victory at Gateway International Raceway in 2002, and Thiago Medeiros earned a win at Texas Motor Speedway in 2003. After a one-year hiatus, the team is back for a full season of competition with Chesson at the helm of the No. 36 Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone.
“We're all very excited to have P.J. Chesson driving the Genoa Racing Dallara this year,” chief mechanic Mike West said. “He is capable of winning multiple races, as he proved last season. Our directive is to provide P.J. with a consistently fast race car, capable of taking him to the series championship title.”
Chesson, who recently moved from his boyhood home in Far Hills, N.J., to Miami Beach, Fla., made quite a splash in his rookie season in the Menards Infiniti Pro Series in 2004.
The 26-year-old, who had never raced on pavement, debuted mid-season at Kansas Speedway. Three races later, Chesson recorded the first of seven consecutive top-five finishes, which included three consecutive victories.
Chesson, also known for a colorful personality, leaves it to the observer to interpret his meaning when he says he and the team will “shake things up a bit this year.”
“I’m excited about working with the guys at Genoa Racing,” Chesson said. “My brother James tested with them at Homestead in January so I know they’re fast. I’ve never been to Homestead-Miami Speedway before, but I think I’ll be able to adapt pretty quickly. We had good results last year in our first visits to a lot of tracks.”
Just as Chesson adapted to racing on pavement last year, he’ll need to learn how to race on road courses in 2005.
“Throughout the offseason, I kept saying that my only road-course experience was driving my rental car, but I’ve been doing some karting to give myself some experience beyond the rental cars,” Chesson said. “I think we’ll be able to pick it up pretty quickly and have a successful season.”
Capsule Look At Genoa Racing
Chassis/engine/tire: Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone
Owner: Angelo Ferro
Driver: P.J. Chesson
Team manager: Thomas Knapp
Chief mechanic: Mike West
Team Viewpoint
Mike West: “We've been able to thoroughly prepare for the season, even though this deal came together rather late. I know that (technical director) Tom (Knapp) is very confident that our tests have provided an excellent direction for the car. He'll have a good line of communication with P.J., and that will make the difference this year.”
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3. Roy Jones Jr., Tara Reid named grand marshal, honorary starter for Toyota Indy 300: Champion boxer and native Floridian Roy Jones Jr. has been named the grand marshal and actress Tara Reid the honorary starter for this Sunday’s Toyota Indy 300, IRL IndyCar® Series season-opening race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Jones will give the command "Drivers, start your engines" for the Toyota Indy 300, the race which will kick off the 10th season of IndyCar Series competition. He will be joined by Reid, who as honorary starter will wave the green flag to start the race.
In addition to Jones and Reid, nine-time Olympic medalist Dara Torres and NHL Hall of Famer and Florida Panthers broadcaster Denis Potvin will serve as race dignitaries for the Toyota Indy 300.
“Fans have the unique opportunity to see some of America’s biggest stars get the racing action started at this weekend’s Toyota Indy 300,’ said Curtis Gray, President of Homestead-Miami Speedway. “We’re honored to have Roy, Tara, Dara and Denis as part of the Toyota Indy 300.”
Jones, a native of Pensacola, Fla., is one of the world’s most renowned boxers. He won titles in the middleweight, super middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, and made history on March 1, 2003 when he beat John Ruiz for a heavyweight championship title.
Jones was voted the "Fighter of the Decade" in the 1990s by the Boxing Writers Association of America, and has been at the top of the rankings for virtually everyone's "pound-for-pound" listings for years. His ring record stands at 49-3 with 38 coming by knockout. He currently serves as a ringside commentator for HBO’s boxing telecasts.
Reid is one of Hollywood’s hot young actresses, and has appeared in the hit films American Pie, American Pie 2, Urban Legend and Van Wilder.
She is currently seen in the movie Alone in the Dark and will appear in The Crow: Wicked Prayer, the latest installment of The Crow movie series, and Land of Canaan later this year. She has a recurring role in the NBC comedy series “Scrubs.”
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The IRL IndyCar Series opens its 10th season of competition with the Toyota Indy 300 at 2 p.m. (EST) on March 6, 2005 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The race will be televised live on ESPN and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network and indycar.com. The 2005 Menards Infiniti Pro Series season also opens on March 6 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The race will be televised by ESPN2 at 4 p.m. (EST) on March 17.
