The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 300 - Travis Geisler Notes

Travis Geisler Notes, Quotes: SpongeBob 300

With help of Pearsons, Geisler’s ready for Charlotte

This weekend Travis Geisler and the #36 DCT Motorsports Chevrolet team head to the 1.5-mile, Lowe’s Motor Speedway, located just north of Charlotte, N.C., for Friday night’s Charlotte 300 NASCAR Busch Series race.

Geisler is a native of Cranberry Township, Pa., just outside of Pittsburgh, who has grown up in the sport. The young driver brings an engineering degree from Vanderbilt University to the DCT Motorsports team.

DCT Motorsports’ owners John McGill and Carl Natale are the first full-time owners from Cleveland, Ohio, NASCAR’s top three divisions have ever seen. Still, their marketing and business savvy is a breath of fresh air that has captured the imagination of the sport’s business minds. McGill and Natale 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 is 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.

The thoughts of #36 DCT Motorsports Chevrolet rookie driver Travis Geisler heading into Charlotte:

“When you think about Lowe’s Motor Speedway, you have to think about the rich history that has accompanied this track throughout the years. To give you an example: I’ve never raced there before. Friday night will be my first race at that legendary track. We did test there a couple weeks ago, and that was the first time I’d ever been out on the track.

“My crew chief, Ricky Pearson, just so happened to have his father, David – a guy who knows a little bit about racing at Charlotte - along with us for the test session. He definitely knows a thing or two about winning there. He and Ricky really have a lot of history and success at Lowe’s. David was able to give me a few pointers. He said the track has stayed relatively the same since he used to race there, and if you want to go fast, ‘you have to almost knock the paint of the wall coming out of turn four.’

“He’s right. The track hasn’t changed much, if any, since he used to race here. That’s also apart of the history of this place. You think about all of the names down through the years twho have raced at Lowe’s - Petty, Earnhardt, Allison, and of course Pearson. It’s always exciting to come to one of our older tracks. It’s kind of like Fenway Park; no it’s not the newest or always the smoothest track, but it’s got character and history, and you always want to perform your best and finish well at such meaningful tracks.

“Lowe’s Motor Speedway has to be one of if not the roughest tracks I’ve ever raced on other than dirt. Because of the rough, bumpy surface the car moves around a lot, especially in turns three and four. You have to adjust your line accordingly so that you aren’t turning the car too sharply whenever you go over one of the bumps in the corner. Because of that you have to wait a little longer going into three before you turn the car. There are certain bumps out there that you have to have the car straight when you pass over or you’ll really slide up the race track.

“It’s my first race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. We had a very productive test session a couple of weeks back, and I’m sure I’ll be learning a lot more this weekend in preparation for Friday night’s race. As a driver you’re always looking forward to your next race, but I’d be lying if I said this DCT Motorsports team (located in Spartanburg, S.C.) isn’t pumped up maybe a little bit extra this weekend.”