NASCAR continues the youth movement on Monday afternoon at 2PM Eastern Time. SPEED will interrupt scheduled programming to carry the Joe Gibbs Racing press conference from the JGR shops live. All of this for an 18 year-old from Connecticut.
Update: ESPNEWS has confirmed that it will also carry live coverage of the press conference at 2PM.
JGR is expected to announce the promotion of Joey Logano from the ARCA Series directly into the Sprint Cup ride formerly occupied by series champion Tony Stewart. Logano is a marketing dream with driving ability and public relations training second to none.
Earlier this season, once he hit the magic age of 18, Logano was promoted from ARCA and put to the test by JGR in the NASCAR world. Apparently, he passed with flying colors.
SPEED will carry the entire media event beginning at 2PM ET. This continues the network's commitment to NASCAR. Despite an earlier disaster with the Stewart-Haas announcement, SPEED has been on-top of the breaking NASCAR news all season-long with a new dedication to this type of coverage.
We will update any additional information about the SPEED TV announcers assigned to the coverage and if ESPNEWS or any additional networks will also participate.
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I believe ESPNews is taking the news conference live as well.
ReplyDeleteCan you give us some details about his public relations training? Frankly, whenever I've seen him on Trackside or other interview shows, he still seems like an 18-year-old, laughing, saying "um" a lot, and sometimes not giving clear answers, and sometimes even forgets to mention the sponsor. I also think he's a bit of a mush-mouth pronunciation-wise.
ReplyDeleteI'm not trying to insult the kid - he's only 18! But when I think of public relations training second-to-none, I think of someone like Jimmy Johnson who is super-polished as a pitchman/speaker. I think Logano might not be too far behind Johnson and Gordon on the track - but I think he needs a lot of training before he is near their level of PR abilities.
There is no official word yet, but I will update it when it comes along.
ReplyDeleteAnon 10:27PM,
ReplyDeleteHe is a lot like Jeff Gordon in that he has won a lot and handled a lot of interviews and Victory Lane exposure. He has a very strong father right behind him helping him every step of the way.
His dad has been the steady influence on him during this crazy rise to the top. TV and the NASCAR Media will be a new world for him and it will all start on Monday.
JD
Well, I know he has won a lot and done a ton of interviews, but I think this is different than real PR training. Frankly, the kid needs some minor speech coaching to eliminate the lispyness of his speech, and some basic training in head/hand movement, etc. I suspect he'll get all this, I was just questioning whether he had already actually had it, as it appears he hasn't yet.
ReplyDeleteI am sure he is all signed-up for everything he needs right now!
ReplyDeleteIt should be interesting to see who the sponsors turn-out to be and how the TV commercials are going to be made.
JD
Anonymous said ...
ReplyDeleteI also think he's a bit of a mush-mouth pronunciation-wise.
That could apply to several on-air personalities calling the races.
Karen
ReplyDeleteDitto to your comments! :)
the boy is young and may be talented..but I wish they would not push him so quickly...but what do I know...i just hope the kid is happy and stays balanced.
Can't imagine all that corporate sponsorship stuff when I was that young...even though I was well spoken and all of that...sheesh.
Good luck to him.
Didn't you mean to say from nationwide to sprint cup? :)
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone remember Gordon at his first championship banquet? There were more "umms" in that speech than any other. Certainly, he was vastly improved by the second!
ReplyDeleteBut please, lets not expect (or even want!) a level of polish like Jimmie Johnson. He comes across very stiff, colorless, and robotic. I disliked him for quite a while based on that alone. Strangely, through some mutual friends, I learned that he is not really like that, and can actually be a bit wild. Now it would be nice if he incorporated a little bit of that roughness into his public persona.
Tom
Inverness, FL
The Nascar youth movement ? I look up in the stands and I don't see a mega-posse of teens. No, I see tens of thousands of 30-40-50, even 60 year-olds.
ReplyDeleteIf Nascar wants to reflect its audience, it better hope and pray that Shrader, Waltrip, and some of the other older guys stick around.
Personally, I don't care how old a driver is so long as he can race with everyone else, but as a sponsor pitchman, an 18-year-old has absolutely no credibility unless he is pitching something to teenagers, and as I recall from my own adolescence, I was not easily convinced by someone not any further removed from diapers than I was.
But, hey, I don't want to rain on 'Joey''s parade.
So SPEED wants to be the Nascar channel on the weekends and lifestyle channel during the week, but when something Nascar-related happens in the week they jump in to cover it. I'm glad they're doing it, but they really need to decide one way or the other which type of programming is more important to them.
ReplyDeletejoey logano fan,
ReplyDeleteHe was an ARCA driver, then went to the Nationwide Series when he turned 18. What he will drive for the rest of the season will be announced on Monday.
Rumor is they bought him a ride in the #96 HoF Cup Car and young Mr. Coleman is out.
JD
jose,
ReplyDeleteNASCAR got a rude smack-down last season when they decided to abandon the hardcore fans and cater to something that the TV networks called "the casual fan."
Personally, I have never met a casual NASCAR fan. The TV networks "dumbed down" the on-air presentation with ESPN still explaining drafting and pit stops well into October.
This season, after Mr. France advised he was returning the sport to the hardcore fan, the only part of the sport not respecting the 29+ demographic is the sponsors.
I think there would be a big reaction if a driver given a new ride was over 35. Silly season is still not over, so stay tuned.
JD
young mr logano is, from what i've seen and heard prior to his entry into n'wide, one hell of a driver. i have't been overwhelmed w/him in n'wide but didn't expect to be: the level of competition is much tougher than he's experienced. but if mark martin says he's the real thing, i gotta believe.
ReplyDeletebut i also believe he's just too young to be in cup racing next year. call it reverse age-ism but he's not had enough experience to make this fast a transition. he's going from arca to n'wide to cup within a year, perhaps (if the HoF rumor is true!) w/i the same year! i think he's the latest example of bringing a driver up thru the ranks too quickly and i pray he doesn't crash and burn. the ones who make it are the exception and i'm not certain i see that in logano just yet.
there's a reason there is a n'wide series: it's to give drivers wheel time and experience at a variety of tracks. it's to give them the guidance and training that will serve them well when they hit the cup level. at 18, you're infalliable and immortal. as you gain experience, you recognize that you are neither. a few of logano's comments so far this season made me think "not yet, son. not yet."
is he a media creation? nah, he's good. but jgr is pushing too fast and too hard. they would do better to put a veteran in that #20 for one year then turn it over to logano. and moving logano to HoF just pushes one 18 year old for another, doesn't it? coleman also has a future and i think he, too, should be getting seat time in n'wide before hitting cup.
just my two cents but i'd hate to see logano and colemen lose a possible career b/c they were moved too far, too fast.
OK, here we go. Just about time for both SPEED and ESPNEWS.
ReplyDeleteWow, no PR guy hosting.
ReplyDeleteGotta feel a little weird for Zippy.
ReplyDeletemulti-camera shoot...
ReplyDeleteLee Spence is BANG ON ... What a crazy miss on the demographic mis-match between Babyfaced Logano and Home Depot ... my guess is that bonehead Home Depot Marketing Manager
ReplyDeleteAnd why the lob-ball from David Poole from the Charlotte Observer ? Does he have a thing for Logano, or what !!!
speedtv.com ahead of nascar.com on both audio and video. also, speedtv.com inserted some pre-pack video while nascar.com staying with the video feed.
ReplyDelete(way to lead an answer there, poole.)
I am having a hard time with that match as well. Worse than Kasey and Bud.
ReplyDeleteIt should be iteresting to see what they do for commercials.
nascar.com doesn't give an option to get full screen video as does speedtv.com. tough to see on that tiny screen.
ReplyDeletezippy sure does feel uncomfortable, doesn't he?
red,
ReplyDeleteESPN is airing it on delay
Man, I missed the end of the sentence ... I think that Home Depot Marketing Manager will likely be bounced mid-way through '09 because of this dumb decision ...
ReplyDeletethe big question is what is Logano going to be doing for the rest of this season?
ReplyDeleteHas anyone, ANYONE, seen an 18-year-old in the check-out line at the Home Depot ????
ReplyDeleteagreed red! Do these folks not remember a young man named Casey Atwood who was the next Jeff Gordon and where is he now :(
ReplyDeleteYes every once in a while you *will* get someone like Kylie, who the fist handful of races either backed it into the fence during qualifying or the race itself and came back the next year to show that he did know how to drive after all. But even if they can win from the gate or win championships, I think they need to pay their dues and need to be required to complete at least 2 full seasons in the lower ranks before even being able to move up.
two Home Depot cars in Richmond...wow...
ReplyDeletedaly planet editor said...
ReplyDeletetwo Home Depot cars in Richmond...wow...
wonder if it'll be different paint schemes? or the same scheme butwith the two differnt numbers? gonna be touch to tell them apart, i think.
did jd say it is the 02 at richmond?
What a pity the game company didn't step up to sponsor Joey ... now there's a perfect match ... or maybe 7/11's BIG GULP or ...
ReplyDelete... it's nice to see he'll start at Richmond with JGR, tho, I like that rather than to see him farmed out to HoF or someone like that ..
I've seen a lot of what looked like 18 year olds in line. Most of them were wearing tool belts though.
ReplyDeleteI know...where's Winston? He's usually up there at these events :)
ReplyDeleteGlad I have tickets to the October Atlanta race... So they're cutting it short to get back to trucks?
ReplyDeleteBoy, I wonder how JJ Yeley and Brad Colemand are feeling about all of this today, given they were both JGR poster boyes just 6 months ago ...
ReplyDeleteWOW....SPEED bailing out after 25 minute...are you kidding me?
ReplyDeleteThe only 18-year-olds I've seen at Home Depot are usually tag-alongs with their mum or dad and helping carry out some lumber of a bunch of light bulbs ... stuff like that ...
ReplyDeletecan i just say: i don't think logano has any idea how to be a kid. of course he thinks he's mature: that's what everyone's telling him. but he clearly doesn't know how to be a kid, even at 18.
ReplyDeletehonestly? i feel bad for him in a way. i hope he does well but there's racing but then there's life. he hasn't had the life experience that he deserves. guess we just have to trust jgr on this one . . .
back to the show.
Paging Dilner, paging Dilner ... Where did Speed go ????
ReplyDeletedaly planet editor said...
ReplyDeleteWOW....SPEED bailing out after 25 minute...are you kidding me?
speedtv.com still on it as is nascar.com.
i chose online vs tv today just for that reason. "fool me once . . ."
Wow, they left for a five day old Truck race replay.
ReplyDeleteYou know ESPN is loving this, the only live TV media outlet for this.
You know what the perfect sponsor for Logano would have been ?
ReplyDeleteThe APPLE iPOD !!!
That's what 18-year-olds are into. iPODS.
Hey, just a thought, but HOME DEPOT's sales are suffering these days, according to the financial pages, right ? I wonder if that stubby marketing manager with the check book sitting between the two Gibbs this aft is responsible for that too.
According to Jayski, the #02 will be a reverse color scheme than the #20.
ReplyDeleteAt Richmond there will be an 02 car with reverse paint scheme - white with orange
ReplyDeletethanks, alex! that'll make it easier to spot each of them!
ReplyDeleteWell, that was interesting. No length of contract with either HD or Logano, no real clue as to where he will be the rest of the season and two Home Depot cars at Richmond and Atlanta.
ReplyDeleteJD
wow! now there's a question based on the lack of visible 18 year olds at home depot! hmmmm
ReplyDeleteWill Zip be crew chief for both cars? Hmmm......
ReplyDeleteRed, I missed that, did they ask a question at the press conference about the lack of 18-year-olds at Home Depot ?
ReplyDeletethe googler said...
ReplyDeleteRed, I missed that, did they ask a question at the press conference about the lack of 18-year-olds at Home Depot ?
yep. home depot guy took it and essentially said:
* fans are driver loyal, regardless of the driver age
* we're going to build on that fan loyalty going forward and
* we do hope we can drive 18 year olds into home depot (that said with a smile)
i agree that fans are driver loyal first and sponsor loyal (to whatever extent they are!) as a secondary consideration. not sure, tho', if as the questioner said "construction guys" are going to build a driver loyalty to an 18 year old.
a full helping of corporate speak and stereotypes all around.
Daly Planet Editor said...
ReplyDeleteWell, that was interesting. No length of contract with either HD or Logano, no real clue as to where he will be the rest of the season and two Home Depot cars at Richmond and Atlanta.
JD
August 25, 2008 2:36 PM
----
HD contract as primary sponsor goes thru next year. After that they are looking to be co sponsor.
That was in a JGR or TSF newsletter. If they can get co sponsor now for next year I'm betting they change sooner.
JGR newsletter said 3 years left for Joey, since he was in a developement contract. Does anyone know if they sign a new one as a driver moves up?
jo said:
ReplyDelete"JGR newsletter said 3 years left for Joey, since he was in a developement contract. Does anyone know if they sign a new one as a driver moves up?"
i may have been 1/2 listening but didn't jd say that the first contract (the driver dev contract) was signed by logano's parents as he was under 18 and that this new contract was -- i believe he said -- "all on joey now" meaning now that he's 18, he can sign for himself? that made me think that the driver dev contract has been superceded by this standard driver's contract.
Red, thanks for the update, I didn't get to watch the whole news conference ... but, man, what a hoot, that marketing guy is not only dreaming in technicolor but blowing a lot of smoke up everyone's keyster if he thinks hairy-ass'd construction workers of any age are going to align themselves with a baby-skinned string bean from CT ...
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Coach, 'man', said a little 'Hail Mary' under his breath when the marketing guy blurted out that nose-stretcher ...
I can see those new TV ads now ...
ReplyDeleteZippy taking Joey into a Home Depot store and showing him what a hammer is ... Zippy taking Joey into a Home Depot and showing him what you can do with the right power tool ...
Zippy helping Joey pick out a new Hot Tub for his brand new Lake Norman mansion ... Zippy helping Joey pick out a line of gardening tools for his gardener to use ...
Zippy helping Joey understand what home automation is all about and how he can power up his iPod in ever room in his Lake Norman mansion ...
Oh ya, those hairy-ass'd construction types (h/t googler) are really going to take a liking to Joes ... they're going to bond together like jello to a cedar shake on a hot day.
Uh-huh ....
Thanks Red I figured some one would know!
ReplyDeleteGomez you are too funny with commercial ideas! True & funny
hey gomez! great commercial concepts: maybe you should send those on to home depot? (except for the iPod one: i'm pretty confident logano has a handle on THAT piece of technology already!) the depot could take advantage of joey's "less than manly" age and appearance and do a whole line of "zippy explains the facts of construction and diy life to young joey logano."
ReplyDeletei'm just sayin' . . .
Red, let me bang back a couple cocktails and give the idea some thought. I'm not sure I want to be feeding any brainstorms to that Home Depot marketing numbskull.
ReplyDeleteBut let's be honest here for a moment.
Joey and DIY ? C'mon, puh-lease !!!
That kid has never had to do it himself since he crawled out of his diapers.
But now that I'm sucking back on my first vodka soday, I kind of like the play HD could have with Zippy taking Joey all over a Home Depot store to show him what being an adult is all about ... only the twist would be each ad would have Zip and Joey and one other rotating person in the ad depending on topic.
For instance, maybe the plumber is with them one day when Zippy is explaining how a plunger works and Joey hands it over to the plumber to put it in the shopping cart ...
Another ad might feature Zippy and Joey and his cook looking over new kitchen appliances ...
And another one might feature Zippy and Joey and a carpenter looking at various wood products to build Joey's home entertainment room ...
Hey, I could go on .... but in all of them Zip would play the surrogate father to young Joey and the Home Depot store would be like the setting for what it's really like out there in the real world when you're growing into adulthood and you have to deal with all kinds of things, both pleasant and nasty, that you never before had to deal with when you were under your daddy's apron ...
Oh, and if anyone from HD or its ad agency wants to reach me and talk fees and commissions, talk to my agents here at DP, natch !
:)
GtSF
see, gang, THIS is what a great nascar-themed ad campaign could be! has everything we want in an ad series: driver, crew chief, amusing theme, sponsor product featured in an intelligent way. it's reminiscent of tony's "when i fix something up, i win at the track" series and zippy's already a pro (as coach pointed out today!)
ReplyDeleteit's brilliant, i say, brilliant!!
(something tells me it'll never see the light of day, tho'!)
I confess, I love it too ... how disarmingly charming !!!
ReplyDeleteHelpful, informative, humorous, self-deprecating, a running narrative that could tie a series of ads together to build viewer interest and potential fan loyalty, even, dare I say it, among the hairy-ass'd crowd !
And great spin-offs too, Joey's website could feature the videos with weblinks right into the HD's own website so that people can buy online the products featured in the ads.
But I agree, Red, HD will never use it, likely becaus that HD moron won't want to be one-umpmanship'd by a bunch of blog dwellers ...
Has Bob Dilner been moonlighting along the fairway at recent PGA events ? His whispered delivery at the Logano press conference was terrific ... talk about drama, talk about build-up, talk about giving viewers that 'insider's feel !!!!
ReplyDeleteBob, buddy, you've hit on a terrific shtick for your broadcast repertoire!
On the other hand, why did your network quit the newser barely 25 minutes into the to-do ?
C'mon, Bob, you know SPEED cheated its viewers on that one, ya gotta make it up to us !!
Oh, and by the way, nice goggles, bud.
Goggles ? Ouch !
ReplyDeletejust 'cause i know how some folks on this site feel about this:
ReplyDeletethe photo that accompanies the logano article on nascar.com shows jd and coach w/young mr logano. coach and jd are looking into the sunny day without sunglasses. and young mr logano? sunglasses set on his face.
sigh.
too funny on the commercial ideas...
ReplyDeleteDillPickle always whispers like that...I don't follow golf so have no clue on how well he did in comparison :)
I'll have to wait until I'm off in 30ish minutes to watch but I was disappointed that SPEED left early :(. I always record longer because they've sometimes gone over the 30 minutes.
West Coast Diane said:
ReplyDeleteJoey pushing HD...although I love the commercial ideas posted here...can't be any harder than Kyle Busch pushing M&M's. I know adults eat candy, but if I were a parent (son/daughters all grown up) I would have a hard time letting my kid root for Kyle. Wonder if the M&M's etal are happy with their choice...winning yes, attitude??? Oh, when Elliot Sadler had M&M's I would buy souvenirs for nieces/nephews when we were at Daytona 500. Even though ES wasn't favorite driver. Kind of hard to give little kids a "Bud" T-shirt. M&M's off the list for now.
Wasn't it Dale Sr who made Jr stay in the Busch/NW series for a couple of years before graduatng to Cup. Smart move if you ask me.
ReplyDeleteOther owners should do the same thing. I often wonder why MWR didn't put McDowell there first before his lackluster CUP debut. Now he's out. With all the Cup drivers in NW it's just like Cup racing w/o the money.
Nothing against Joey (oh, to be 33 yrs younger...) but with magnet gate occuring, just how good is he? I know he ran well in ARCA, but now I wonder. It's sad to have that thought in my head. Maybe someone will come to their senses and put him in the m&ms car and get Gerber to sponsor KyB.
dot said...
ReplyDelete"Wasn't it Dale Sr who made Jr stay in the Busch/NW series for a couple of years before graduatng to Cup. Smart move if you ask me."
yeppers-- and dale jr won the busch championship each of those years. he apparently learned some lessons from the old man b/c, when it was his turn to make that decision, he kept truex jr in busch for two years as well -- and truex jr also took the championship each of those years, i believe.
i'm hoping he'll keep keselowski in n'wide for another year for the same reason. (and didn't i hear somewhere that brad turned down a cup ride with penske late last week? i can't seem to track that down so who knows.)
on TWIN tonight, the biff said he'd prefer to have drivers work their way thru the system and spend a bit more time in n'wide before moving to cup. wish they'd had a few more minutes left in the show for him to expand on that.