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🏎 Trackhouse Tactics

🏎 Trackhouse Tactics

Can Trackhouse make MotoGP mainstream in the US?

Kyle Dager
April 17, 2024

Good morning! The Greatest Day in Motorsports is just around the corner…

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Parker’s POV

Some Valor in This

Written by: Parker Kligerman

Chase Elliott won this past weekend, which I predicted in our Money Lap picks. Putting my amazing foresight aside, none of us truly understand what that felt like. A long winless streak (42 races for Chase), constant questions, and the mental anguish you will go through wondering when you will win again. You may say, well doesn’t happen, he’s a professional, but I know it happened to him. How? Because I’m there.

This past weekend I too had a winning capable car but saw it slip away in a cascading series of mishaps. On Sunday, I also finished the last episode of The West Wing, which is about the fifth time I’ve watched it all the way through. It is my comfort show. Like chicken pot pie on a cold night, version of a TV show, I always know when I am down - There is The West Wing. I am not really into politics, although I do love the idea of being a part of a campaign one day (what a thrill that must be). I think the sense of the show is that there is valor in devoting your life to the act of governing. To devoting time from your life toward something bigger than you. And sacrificing basic needs for the betterment of a greater whole.

It’s not sexy, it doesn’t pay, and really the reward comes after from the many illustrious job offers that will still require you to work for your prize. It’s not like racing where capturing the checkered flag first means the job is done. In the White House, you get finished and then the reward is getting to work again but for a far bigger monetary prize.

I think of this similar to NASCAR right now. It wasn’t this way 20 years ago and it may not be this way in five years, but at the moment for all of us doing it, we see some odd valor in this. Dedicate every waking moment to this thing of going fast in circles, whether it’s a driver, mechanic, reporter, or broadcaster, with an immediate payoff that has diminished in the last 10 years. The grind is the same. Week in and week out you must keep going.

So as I watched Chase Elliott snap that winless streak, I thought, damn that must feel nice. I can’t be much further away? Right?

See for him staring in the face of a long losing streak, there’s valor in keeping going because the whole world expects him to win and when he doesn’t wonders “how could this be?!” The nice part is that even with that outside pressure, being NASCAR’s most popular driver, he is in full control of his destiny and how long he wants to keep trying. For drivers like me? That's not quite the case. It’s unknown how long you’ll be given, how many more chances will you get and so there’s valor in just keeping those decisions at bay.

A valor to keep chasing this thing with no guarantee of success and knowing each day puts a safety net even further away. Like a polar bear hunting the scent of seal in the whiteout of a snowstorm. No guarantee they eat and a very realistic chance they chase this scent to their own demise. You just don’t know.

Much like President Bartlett's final line in 'The West Wing' as he relinquishes the presidency to the newly elected successor. When asked what’s on his mind as he heads home to New Hampshire, he responds simply, “Tomorrow”

For him, the job is done and the unknown is the reward. For us in the midst of a winless streak, tomorrow is all there is. It's the next step to answering the question whether our reward is happening. To know the job is done.

I don’t know what was going through Chase Elliott's mind after the race, but I can guarantee you there was at least an ounce of vindication to have simply kept going. Tomorrow, for the first time in a while, isn’t scary. There’s a valor in that.

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Make Room For MotoGP

Trackhouse Racing is not just making waves in NASCAR but also working up MotoGP's profile in the U.S. With their knack for viral moments and strategic partnerships, they're the new crew to watch. Trackhouse co-owner Justin Marks is praised for his approach "[Marks] is an exceptionally open-minded person. He's always looking for opportunities, but not opportunities to do things like other people do them, for opportunities for him to do things the way he wants to do them,", according to Jeff Burton.

The team's ability to blend exciting race victories with popular culture—thanks in part to co-owner and Grammy winner Pitbull—makes them a marketer's dream. Their entrance into MotoGP comes at a time when the sport is eagerly awaiting its mainstream breakout in the States. Marks emphasized the potential: "There is probably some pressure on us to deliver some value for MotoGP in the North American market, but I think it's something that we're uniquely positioned to be able to do" .

As they introduce MotoGP to their established fanbase, Trackhouse hopes to translate their NASCAR success into MotoGP, tapping into a larger audience with high-quality content and cross-promotion strategies. Their commitment to top-notch social media storytelling could prove to be a game changer in expanding MotoGP's reach.

While the pressure is on for Trackhouse to perform on the track, their efforts off it may just lead to a new era of motorcycle racing fandom in the U.S.