Charter 250 - Travis Geisler Notes

Geisler Ready For Gateway After Solid Test
Second DCT race following impressive Nashville run

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Travis Geisler and the #36 DCT Motorsports Chevrolet team head to the 1.25-mile Gateway International Raceway just outside of St. Louis this week filled with confidence and optimism. The team runs the Gateway 250 NASCAR Busch Series race in a one-day show Saturday.

“We had a good test last week at Gateway and we learned a lot about the car,” said Geisler, the 23-year-old up-and-comer from western Pennsylvania. “We feel we can go back out there this week and have a really consistent competitive run.”

Geisler, who is running 11 Busch races for DCT Motorsports this season, debuted at Nashville, Tenn., two weeks ago with a very consistent and strong run. An unfortunate caution flag right after the car had pitted cost DCT some laps and a probable top-15 finish, but the driver and crew, led by crew chief Ricky Pearson, were enthusiastic.

“For the guy’s first time in a Busch car at a track like Nashville, I thought he did a heck of a job,” said Pearson, a Busch Series champion crew chief. “I kept thinking, ‘Wonder how good this guy can be with some seat time?’”

Most racing observers, including DCT owners John McGill and Carl Natale, feel “incredibly good” is the answer to that. Geisler’s driving talents, as well as his blood line (his father, Lynn, is a highly-accomplished racer), add up to a lot of potential.

“Plus, Travis has a very strong work ethic. When he is not driving, he works as a member of the crew,” Natale pointed out. “He has a lot of knowledge, but he knows that getting under the car and working on it, physically doing all of the things you have to do to make the car faster, will make him a better driver in the long run. He puts in a lot of hours, and works hard.

“A lot of drivers say they will do anything to make it in NASCAR racing,” Natale said. “Travis Geisler proves it every day.”

Geisler worked in the garage and pits in the team’s last race at Talladega, Ala., where the team’s general manager Steve Grissom had been scheduled to drive. He and Grissom are splitting the driving duties the remainder of the season.

“Communication is a key issue between driver and crew. If the car is going to get better you have to be able to tell each other what is going on and how to fix it,” Geisler said. “The more I know about the race car, the better I can be at that. This is a learning experience. I don’t know of any other way to look at it. I do want to be a good driver and I do want to be the best I can be at it. Maybe some guys wouldn’t want to do it but I know I need to do it to reach my potential.”

Geisler had some extra work in the shop at the end of the week. A cut tire at the end of the Gateway testing session led to front end damage on the car. Geisler, Pearson and the crew have made repairs, though, Pearson saying the damage was “not really a big deal. We’re ready.”

This will be Geisler’s second turn at Gateway, even though it’s his first in a NASCAR Busch Series car. A year ago, he took a NASCAR Touring car to Gateway and was the second-fastest in practice. Qualifying was rained out but Geisler was able to move to the front and run as well as anybody before being caught up in another driver’s crash.

“Things are different with a Busch car but I do know the lay of the land a little bit because of that Touring Series race, and with the testing we did last week,” Geisler said. “The Busch car corner speeds are a little slower than the Touring car but the straightaway speeds are a lot higher. There is a lot more braking with the Busch car.

“Turns one and two are very tight, so that makes the entrance into Turn One very important,” he added. “There is a long braking zone there, so you have to be careful not to wear out your brakes.”

The fact Gateway’s activities – practice, qualifying and the race – are all crammed into one day doesn’t phase him.

“Maybe that helps me a little bit,” Geisler said. “I’m probably more used to one-day shows than everybody else here. Everywhere I’ve run practically has been where we would show up, get it done and get out of there. Plus, not having to worry about a big qualifying package and then moving into a different race package helps me. It helped us in testing because we could concentrate on the one area.”

Geisler – the only Vanderbilt graduate in the field Saturday - has run a myriad of different series in his career including ASA, ARCA and Southwest Tour. He joined driver Grissom with the team, led by veteran championship crew chief Pearson. Grissom, a former NASCAR Busch Series national champion, is serving as the team’s general manager as well as driving 11 remaining races this season.

Geisler will run again in the May 14 race at Richmond, Va., before Grissom returns for the May 23 event at Nazareth and May 30 event at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The team had already scheduled skipping the Dover, Del., race, and Geisler will be behind the wheel when the Busch Series returns to Nashville June 12.

Named for the idea “Dreams Come True,” owners McGill and Natale – “two guys from Cleveland building a future in motorsports,” as they refer to themselves – have developed the sport’s most cost-efficient, sponsor-friendly marketing setup. It is based on giving full value to sponsors, and utilizing the many business-to-business contacts McGill, a developer, and Natale, a major earthwork contractor, have in place.

DCT Motorsports, seeking sponsorship for next year and the remainder of this season, is in the midst of a 25-race schedule for 2004, hitting all of the major NASCAR Busch Series events and markets. One of the most comprehensive sponsorship packages in any form of motorsports, DCT offers a complete package of top racing equipment, hospitality, public relations, publicity, appearances and show cars.