Labor Day Weekend marks the end of the summer season for many people. With kids going back to school, and many people are turning their attention from the beaches to the gridiron for football season.
But there is another sport that gets millions of eyeballs when the calendar turns from August to September: the NASCAR Cup Series Chase features the best 16 drivers from the first seven months of the year’s races who compete for the championship.
Each year, NASCAR races from February through November have some of the highest-per-event average attendance of any major sporting event in the United States. Some of the most loyal and passionate sports fans in the United States can be found at race tracks around the country.
While the NASCAR Cup Series would be characterized as the “Major Leagues” of stock car racing, those racers typically have to earn their opportunities by competing in the “Minor Leagues”. The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and the ARCA Menards Series are where many young drivers get experience competing before the call-up to the “big leagues”.
South Jersey Driver is the ultimate Underdog in the NASCAR world
After years as a championship Sprint Car driver, Craig Pellegrini Jr. is racing in his first year as a Stock Car driver on the NASCAR ARCA Menards Series. The South Jersey driver is currently sitting in fourth place in the ARCA East Standings, significant because he is competing against some of the biggest teams in the sport.
“When we started this whole journey, we knew what we were up against, and we knew what our team was capable of. – Looking at first place in points (is a) Pinnacle Racing Group Car, which is aligned with Spire Motorsports, which is one of the biggest teams in the Cup Series,” Pellegrini Jr explained during his interview on Hanging with Hennig on 973 ESPN.
“You got Joe Gibbs Racing, also one of the biggest teams in the (NASCAR Cup) series, sitting second in points (in ARCA East), and then you got a winning truck team sitting at third in points…Then you have us at FastTrack Racing (in fourth place). So, for us to be knocking on the door of these guys, it makes you realize (that) one, anything’s possible, and two, you got to be there at the end and be consistent.”
The other side of being the “underdog” when competing against the biggest racing groups is that they have seemingly limitless resources. While Craig Pellegrini Jr. and his team depend on getting sponsors for his race car, the other drivers work for groups that can get them all the tires and resources they need.
This is why Pellegrini’s primary sponsor, Let’s Be Frank Espresso Martinis, has agreed to move from the hood of the car to the sides in order to open up more visibility for new sponsors.
“We’re trying to get (another primary) sponsor so we have the full tire allowance….Bristol’s coming up, (and) we have a great opportunity. If there’s any local companies out there that want to get their brand on the hood of the car, it’s a primary spot. Frank has been there all year long on the hood, and it’s worked wonders for him. So, I think it would be great for somebody to get exposure. (The race will be broadcast) on Fox Sports One on national television, and we really get after it out there, we make TV time one way or another. Thankfully, it hasn’t been for the wrong reason, but we’ll get their brand noticed, and we’ll represent them well.”
I have been talking for years about the importance for the South Jersey community showing their support for small businesses. This is one example of why it matters, because someone like Craig Pellegrini and his team would not be in this position without the support of people like Frank Conrad and Let’s Be Frank Espresso Martinis.
The History of NASCAR in 30 Stunning Photos
Ever since its inception in the late 1940s, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing — better known as NASCAR — has been full incredible moments, history-defining wins and heart-pounding photo finishes. Keep reading to look back at some of the powerful images that tell NASCAR’s story.
Gallery Credit: Carena Liptak