Always wonder what a track president’s job entails in NASCAR? I had the opportunity to ask Michael Printup, president of Watkins Glen International, exactly that along with some other things you may want to know! Here are five questions I had the opportunity to ask:
Watkins Glen International President Michael Printup.
What are your thoughts on the racing we saw at Watkins Glen this past weekend? Wow………is the word! That is going in history as a top 3 ever finish! I don’t think we could have had Hollywood script that any better!
As president at Watkins Glen International, what exactly does your job entail? Team supporter! I don’t call the plays but I help manage them. Marketer, press liaison, operations, and just generally speaking the number one fan for the business. I work on fan amenities and corporate sponsorships.
What do you enjoy most about your job? Interacting with the fans! And I look forward in hosting my special kid ambassadors. Three sick kids and their families and they get to hang with the drivers and me!
Why do you feel the need to be so involved with fans during race weekends? They are the ones that support this business and if you can’t be their fan supporter then you might as well go home! I do free coffee and donuts on race Saturdays for all the campers and I do free Bud’s with the track prez at my campsite in the infield. Thousands of fans attend both events.
Do you feel like Watkins Glen International deserves to be one of the ten races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and why do you feel the way you do? NO…….. I think the fans would kill me! Our weekend is the best, middle of baseball, beginning of football and ahead of the Little League World Series. The weather would kill us in Sept or October. We love our date………
After hearing from Michael Printup there were a few things that I took away. When looking back at Printup’s answer to Watkins Glen ever being in the Chase, he makes very good remarks on why the track is perfect just where it is in the NASCAR schedule. He points out that you can not add any track to the Chase schedule because there are other factors that come into play. As mentioned, weather conditions are a very important factor that affects racing conditions as well as providing an event that is comfortable and enjoyable to the fans. NASCAR must look at all the possible variables when determining the schedule for all series.
Brad Keselowski and Marcos Ambrose battle it out on the final lap at Watkins Glen.
It is clear Michael Printup enjoys interacting with the fans and that is key if you want your track to be relevant to the fans in the surrounding area. Fans want to know that they matter. In my opinion that is the number one thing that leads to success of selling seats. Printup is a great example of how a track president should do their job. As a successful president you need to have that desire to interact with fans 24/7. The more examples of this style of business we see, the more successful tracks will be in selling tickets. NASCAR will also benefit in the process as well.
Lastly, Michael Printup alluded to last weekend’s race at Watkins Glen International as one of the best races in NASCAR history and it certainly was an instant classic. You could not have imagined a better finish. Road course races have provided some of the most exciting races in the past few years and this past weekend was just a prime example. Hopefully we will see more of what we saw in the remaining 2012 NASCAR season!
NASCAR Informer 