The Secret to Winning Fans Without Winning the Race

This year’s Fall Crandon hit different for me. I’ve been attending as a spectator and as a spotter since 2016, but this year, I was there to drive. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified. But my terror was equaled in excitement. If you’ve been to Crandon over Labor Day weekend, you know that it’s easily the most iconic weekend in the sport of short-course off-road. It’s not just cars on a track. It’s a parade of racecars, nightly concerts, vendors and brand activation spaces, and an influx of racers from off-road and other sports, all vying for just a taste of the magic that Crandon is known for. And here I was, vying for a little of the same.

My first race was Friday night, under the lights in the Class 11. I was cautious and timid on the track. I had made the decision to let the rest of the cars go ahead of me at the land rush start, opting to learn the car by following those who had experience. When the green flag dropped, I waited a heartbeat before dropping the clutch and following the cloud of dust and VW Beetle taillights. I did my best to keep up with the rest of the field, but admittedly, I was consistently at the back of the pack.

On the third or fourth lap around the mid-track, I jumped the embankment leading from the back section of the track into turn one. I was floored in second gear and, as I shifted into third gear, I swept around the corner in front of the grandstands. My RPM’s waned as I slid the gearshift into the next gear, and as they did, I heard the crowd over the screaming 1600 air-cooled motor behind me. They were cheering me on. The rest of the field was far ahead of me, but they were cheering for me.

Why were they rooting for me?

It's been two weeks since we got home, and I’ve been thinking about that moment a lot. I didn’t even finish that race. My car started misfiring and I pulled off with 5 laps to go. When I got back to the pits, I was met by fan after fan, and each of them was beaming with excitement about my first race. To be honest, I was beaming with excitement, too. Maybe I would have been proud without the stream of support I received, but it was certainly humbling to see how many people were rooting for me – not to win, maybe not even to finish, but to get out there and drive my Beetle.

I’ve narrowed it down to three things:

I was visible.

There are a few ways I did this – some were intentional, some were happenstance. Even though I wasn’t racing until Labor Day weekend, I brought my Class 11 car to almost every short course offroad race in the Midwest. All summer, I had kids sitting in my car with parents snapping pictures and collecting autographs on hero cars. It certainly helps that our race team, VDE Racing, had two other pro-class vehicles competing all year, too. People showed up to Crandon for the August race and had already seen me, our team, and my car during the June race.

Even if Fall Crandon was their first taste of short course offroad, my car was hard to miss at the track. The VDE Racing pits are prime location – just inside the main gates – and we strategically positioned the Class 11 car on the end of the pits where fans could see it from the side and the front. As if that wasn’t enough, the holographic glitter two-tone teal and purple wrap coupled with the Whip It Light Rods were hard to miss, catching the sun during the day and shining on its own during the evening hours.

As you’re reading through this, I’m hoping you’re thinking about how you can be more visible. You don’t need a front-and-center pit spot, but it helps. How else can you make yourself visible? Perhaps it’s reaching out to local businesses before a race weekend, getting yourself and your car in front of locals prior to a race. Maybe it means making your car more flashy and eye-catching. Maybe you could do a strong push on social media before the race season. Do what fits you – for me, though, it’s glitter and flashing lights.

I was approachable

It isn’t enough just to be seen. Building meaningful relationships means making connections with people that are persistent beyond the moment they notice you. Have you seen that insurance commercial where the insurance guy is trying to keep people from turning into their parents? The one I’m thinking of, the person sees someone with a headful of brightly dyed hair and he can’t help but say “BLUE HAIR.” That’s how I envision a fan interacting with a highly-visible but unapproachable racer. You need more than a double-take. You need fans to root for you, not just notice you.

It comes down to being approachable. I spent nearly every second of our weekend fan-facing. I sat on the front of my car as fans came up to check it out and I asked them how they were, if this was their first time, what they were most excited to see, and invited them into authentic conversation. The flashy car and the great placement in the pits pulled them in, but I made extra effort to make them feel like they were welcome. This is something we pride ourselves on as a team. Our whole team, the crew included, knows it’s their job to make fans feel like family.

How do you make yourself approachable? When someone’s gaze lingers on your race vehicle, do you notice? If you notice, do you invite them to ask questions, or do you pretend not to see it? Do you invite fans to collect your autograph and get to know you by having hero cards out and available for them? Fans look up to you as a racer – give them a glimpse behind the curtain and you’ll likely find a meaningful connection there.

I told my story.

I told you – I was terrified. And guess what – I told fans that too. I was vocal that this was my first race and that I’d rolled my car at this track only a couple weeks prior. I told them my goal was just to bring my Class 11 back in one piece throughout the weekend, that I wanted to learn it and that I wasn’t out there to win the race. Something amazing happened as I shared this with folks. They reassured me, they told me I was going to do great, and when I DID finish the race with my car intact, they showed up. One by one, folks I’d never met before that weekend came by the pits and congratulated me. I finished two laps down and nearly 20 seconds slower than the leaders on each lap, but I had a fanbase that was as excited as I was that I had finished my first race. Imagine how many folks would have showed up if I’d have kept that information to myself.

What story are you telling the spectators at your races? Race fans will always root for the car in first, but how do you get them to root for you when you’re in last place? Why are you excited to be there, and how do you get them excited about that to? Oftentimes, it’s as simple as telling people what your goals are.

I don’t want you to walk away from this blog post knowing how I had fans rooting for me at my first race. No – I want you to walk away knowing how you can have fans rooting for you at your next race. How will you make yourself visible, what will make fans feel like you’re approachable, and what story are you going to tell them?