Federated Auto Parts 300 - Travis Geisler Notes

Travis Geisler Notes, Quotes: Federated Auto Parts 300
‘Returning to My Second Home’

This weekend Travis Geisler and the #36 DCT Motorsports Chevrolet team head to the 1.33-mile Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway for Saturday’s Federated Auto Parts 300 NASCAR Busch Series race.

Geisler knows Nashville well, having graduated from Vanderbilt University a year ago with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He began with DCT Motorsports in Nashville’s first Busch Series race earlier this year, and finished a solid 24th, even though losing a couple of laps due to an inopportune scheduled pit stop just a couple of laps prior to a caution flag, and a cut tire.

DCT Motorsports’ owners McGill and Natale – the first full-time owners from the Cleveland, Ohio, area NASCAR’s top three divisions have ever seen – 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.

This will be Geisler’s fourth start for DCT Motorsports. He has been splitting driving time with Steve Grissom, the former NASCAR Busch Series champion who also serves as general manager for the team. Ricky Pearson, who has won the NASCAR Busch Series championship as well, is the team’s crew chief.

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..

The thoughts of DCT Chevrolet driver Travis Geisler heading into Nashville:

“Nashville is a pretty important area to me. I might not have grown up there, but living in the area for four years while getting my Mechanical Engineering degree at Vanderbilt University, it almost became a second home. The Nashville Speedway is my home track, and I am pretty excited about getting back there again this weekend. We had a pretty decent car our first race there a few weeks back. We ran into some bad luck and had a flat tire - then an untimely caution put us on a lap of our own. It was tough to finish where we did because we know we had a better car than that.

“Maybe I take this track more personally than some others. I think anytime you race your home track you want to do your very best. My confidence level is pretty high going into this weekend. I have a lot more experience at this track. I’ve raced the All-Pro Series here and now the Busch Series too. I have a lot of laps at this track. It makes you feel more comfortable to know that you can race well at a certain track. Just walking around the pits, seeing your friends, being familiar with your surroundings - it makes it more comforting. I can relax a little bit knowing that I’ve got my close friends there to support me, and also knowing what I need to get out of the car for a good race.

“We’re looking for a good run this weekend. This is a really nice track, but it takes some work to get around. It’s where I can lend a hand-literally. Ever since I was a kid I’ve always worked on race cars. My Dad still races, and although I am driving now, I’m another guy on the crew, working on the car and doing everything I can to learn as much as I can about it. I enjoy working on the car and I want my hands on it as much as I can right now. We’re building with this team, and I want to be a part of that process. My education cost a lot of money. I want to put it to good use.

“I feel having a Mechanical Engineering degree has really helped me in a lot of ways with my racing career. On the track I can understand what the car is doing. I understand the physics of how the car is handling and can relate that back to the team. Engineering makes you think differently - a little bit more outside the box. You take big problems, and break them down into smaller problems and fix them. You solve problems more quickly. It’s a different thought process that just really fits into preparing a race car. It has helped me tremendously. Racing and engineering go hand-in-hand and I think that’s why you see so many engineers come into this sport and have success.

“Having a college degree also helps off the track as well. You have a lot more confidence when you’re speaking with CEO’s of major companies, trying to get sponsorship. You understand more of what they are looking for. I think that’s going to be important as I grow as a racer. In Nextel Cup the drivers are used more as spokespeople for sponsors, more now than at any other time in the history of the sport. You have to be articulate and knowledgeable in marketing, sales, and public relations. The college degree has already helped me fill that role, and it will just become more and more important as I progress.

“This weekend it’s going to be all life experiences that will help me at Nashville. I want to take all of the racing experience that I have at this track and come into this weekend knowing that I can get the job done. I’m ready to get back behind the wheel and I can’t think of a better place than in Nashville.”