MALL RACE CAR SHOW BLITZ SEES 4 SHOWS FOR FLAT ROCK, TOLEDO TEAMS;
TOLEDO, OH: Flat Rock and Toledo Speedways have increased their pre-season shopping mall race car shows from 1 to 4 events for the upcoming season, including shows at 3 different venues on the same weekend!
The car shows kick off with the annual stop at the Frenchtown Square Mall in Monroe, MI March 24-25, followed by the blitz weekend of April 14-15 at the Westland Shopping Center in Westland, MI; the Southland Center in Taylor, MI and the Westfield Franklin Park complex in Toledo, OH.
In addition to the freshly-painted race cars on display, the tracks will staff an information center at each venue. Pocket schedules, ticket information and more will be available. A drawing for 2 season passes to each track will also be held at each of the 4 locations. And the track mascot, Slick, will make appearances at each of the stops on the mall car show tour. The Monroe event will also be the site of the annual pit stop contest, featuring drivers, car owners and crew members in a race against the clock to change 2 tires.
The car shows are part of the changing marketing strategy being implemented by the ARCA-sanctioned short tracks. “We see these shows as a very important part of our pre-season as we prepare for the new year,” said Scott Schultz, General Manager of the 2 tracks. “The opportunity to put a schedule into the consumer’s hands and to have the chance to talk with them and let them see the race cars up close and personal is very, very important to us and to our race teams as well. The teams can market their sponsors at the same time as we continue to search for new ways to attract additional fan base at both facilities.”
The Frenchtown show has room for 25-30 teams, while the April 14-15 events will feature 12-15 teams at each location. Despite the 3 shows all being on the same weekend, Schultz doesn’t see that as a concern in terms of race cars. “We are very fortunate in the respect that we have over 150 race teams between the 2 tracks, and their support of helping the tracks draw fans continues to get stronger every year,” noted Schultz. “We will be very limited in the number of spaces available at each of the April 14-15 events, and we expect to have an ample amount of teams ready to display their cars. In fact, we were negotiating for another show north of Detroit for the same weekend for our teams from that area, but it never materialized.”
The show reservation forms will be posted on the track’s website February 23 and will be taken on a first-come, first-serve basis. Toledo’s season starts with the ASA 200 and the USA Modifieds on April 13-14. The track is being leased to ASA for this event. The weekly Friday night Toledo schedule starts April 27, with Flat Rock’s traditional Saturday night opener set for April 28.
Season tickets are now on sale for both tracks by calling the Toledo office at 419-727-1100. The Flat Rock track office will open the first week of April. Individual tickets for the special events at both tracks will go on sale March 1. For more information, call the Toledo office at the above number. For up to date information, check out the website at www.arcaracing.com.
