Not that we need to be telling this to our devoted readership, but it’s racing season. For many parts of the country, it is a precious short time, so hard core fans and racers spend lots of their weekends and vacation time in the stands or in the pits at the track.

It’s not an easy time to be in the race track business as the current economic conditions have made people’s disposable income shrink and by proxy of that, they need to seriously consider where they spend their money. Many times, it seems like the track is a distant option when other more important things creep up.

That being said, there’s lots of potential racing junkies that have never, for one reason or another, been to a race track. Here’s where you get involved. SEMA is kicking off it’s, “Bring a Friend to a Race” program to encourage you, the dedicated fan, to introduce someone to the exciting world of racing. As you know, most of the time it only takes one trip to the track to set the hook for the rest of a gearhead’s life.

Here’s the release from SEMA:

CAMPAIGN CALLS FOR ALL RACE FANS TO TAKE A FRIEND TO A RACE
MPMC’s Campaign Offers Easy Ways for Companies and Enthusiasts to Get Involved

DIAMOND BAR, Calif. (June 26, 2009) – As part of Motorsports Awareness Month, the Motorsports Parts Manufacturers Council (MPMC) is urging all race fans to share the thrill and excitement of the sport with nonenthusiasts during the month of August.

MPMC is a SEMA council made up for more than 200 companies, most of which are owned and operated by avid enthusiasts. To increase awareness and interest in motorsports, the council celebrates Motorsports Awareness Month each August, and in 2008 launched its “Take a Friend to a Race” program in hopes of introducing the sport to a new audience.

“The MPMC is dedicated to the Take a Friend to a Race program as a way to get the next generation of race fans involved in our industry,” said Bill Floyd, Chairman of the MPMC.

Through the program, the council is asking all performance parts manufacturers, distributors, retailers and race tracks to join them and promote the “Take a Friend to a Race” program to their local communities. The council offers several resources to make it simple and easy for companies to help, including:

1. Adding the “Take a Friend to a Race” logo to websites, fliers, catalogs and other promotional items. The logo can easily be downloaded from www.sema.org/mpmc.
2. Placing a “Take a Friend to a Race” ad in race track programs or fliers. Several pre-designed ads can be found as downloads at www.sema.org/mpmc.
3. Viewing the video about the “Take a Friend to a Race” program and sending it to customers, friends, family members, local schools, etc. The video can be found at www.sema.org/mpmc.
4. Contacting local schools about bringing students to a race.

Those interested in learning more about the program or other ways to support the “Take a Friend to a Race” program should contact Jim Skelly at SEMA at 909/396-0289, ext. 103, or [email protected].