NASCAR fan appreciation days? Getting close to the drivers at race shop open houses helps foster fans' deep love for NASCAR

Sporting News, The, June 24, 2005 by Lee Spencer

Touring the Yankees' clubhouse with Derek Jeter or standing on the sideline at Lambeau Field with Brett Favre? Impossible. Talking with Kasey Kahne and exploring the Evernham Motorsports shop? That's what NASCAR fan appreciation days are all about.

More than 7,000 fans flocked to Evernham Motorsports' recent fourth annual fan appreciation day. Evernham's 150,000-square-foot facility, which features a museum and gift shop, is nestled in Statesville, N.C., 30 miles north of Charlotte. Open houses are common in NASCAR, designed to bring fans into the race shops, generate a following for the drivers, add another level of exposure for sponsors' products--and sell a little merchandise on the side. For Evernham, it also was the unveiling of the 55,000-square-foot shop that will house the No. 91--a third full-time Nextel Cup team--the Nos. 6 and 79 Busch Series teams (which are currently based in Mooresville) and Dodge's North Carolina R&I) operations.

* Racing for a Reason also was the benefactor of a silent auction that featured race-worn items, including the hood from a Dodge Charger. The charity was founded in honor of Ray Evernham's son, Ray, whose leukemia is currently in remission.

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* A Kasey Kahne fan purchased the front clip of a 2004 Dodge Intrepid with the hope of having it signed by drivers Bill Elliott, Jeremy Mayfield, Kahne and Erin Crocker and team owner Ray Evernham. The gift shop features the sale of gently used sheet metal, the proceeds of which go to Evernham's Racing for a Reason, which raises money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

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* Unilever Foods, which sponsors the Hungry Drivers training program for the No. 6 Dodge in the Busch Series, brought in a trailer with three racing simulators to give fans a feel for the action. Stanley Tools, Mountain Dew and Avon were some of the other sponsors that brought interactive displays.

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* For fans who see the racecars only on TV, an open house is an opportunity to rub the paint, so to speak. Evernham Motorsports usually displays these cars in its lobby but brought them outside so fans could compare them with the street models--including the never-before-seen Charger--provided by local Dodge dealers.

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* Where else could you get a part for your car and an autograph at the same time? Kahne puts felt to action on a quarter panel of his No. 38 Busch Series Dodge.

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* Crocker, 24, drives the Kasey Kahne Racing sprint car. She is under contract in Evernham's developmental program and earlier this season became the first woman to win a World of Outlaws race. Crocker is expected to make her Busch Series debut in September.

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* Fans lined up all night to gain one of the 400 armbands for an autograph session with the drivers. After the fans came to Elliott for a couple of hours, the Awesome One decided to turn the tables. He walked along the long line signing souvenirs, T-shirts and autograph cards and chatting up the crowd. No wonder he has won 16 Most Popular Driver awards.

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--contributing: Paul Grant