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Meet the Two Travis Greggs |
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July 12. At the recent Richmond IndyCar race we were reminded
that one of the best things about watching Penske Racing’s Helio
Castroneves win races is the show he puts on afterwards. We are
talking about the genuine fun he has climbing the fence near the
start/finish line. And then, he does the interviews in Victory
Circle. Fans love it! TV announcers love it!
Journalists love it! Sponsors love it! The team and owner
Roger Penske love it! Helio loves it!  Photo Credit: Shawn Payne, IRL
The good news is that the Menards Infiniti Pro Series, the IRL
development series, also has its version of an up and coming star and
potential Helio. His name is Travis Gregg, and he is your All
American guy from Camden, Ohio. Travis drives for Sam Schmidt
Motorsports. Like Helio, Gregg starts his celebrating after a
victory right there on the track near the start/finish line, but not by
climbing the fence. Travis has his genuine fun by doing a back
flip. And then, he goes to Victory Circle and does another one
before he does the interviews.
If you weren’t at the Homestead-Miami or Texas Pro races, or didn't watch
the ESPN2 delayed broadcasts, you missed two great post-race
shows. We are talking about race winner Travis Gregg, starting
from a standing position, doing a full 360 degree back flip in mid-air
before landing back on his feet – and not falling over. [He does
take his helmet off first. That is so you can see what he looks
like!] His second back flip is so that you can believe the one
you saw the first time! Fans love it! TV announcers love
it! Journalists love it! Sponsors love it! The team
and owner Sam Schmidt love it! Travis loves it!
The Friday, July 1, four day weekend issue of the USA Today
Sports Section, C, front page, had an above the fold, huge color photo
of NASCAR’s rising star, Carl Edwards, doing a victory back flip after
winning a March 19 Busch Series race. Travis did his first Pro
Series victory back flip on March 6, after winning the Pro Series race
at Homestead-Miami. Carl does his back flip off the side of his
car. Travis launches from a more difficult position on the
ground. It is great that NASCAR has its rising stars. The
IRL also has, and needs, its rising stars, too.
Winning races and doing back flips show a bit of the two Travis
Greggs. It goes without saying that he is a very talented and
quick driver. In his first Pro race last year [which was for Sam
Schmidt Motorsports], at Kentucky Speedway, he won the pole, and put
his new teammate, Thiago Medeiros, in the seat next to him on the front
row. That was pretty stunning given that Medeiros already had
racked up five of his season record eight poles on the way to his Pro
Series championship. Although Travis did not win the race, nor did
Medeiros, he did lead 57 of the race’s 67 laps. 
Just because Sam Schmidt Motorsports is the primo Pro Series
team don’t think Gregg’s first pole was some fluke because maybe Sam
gave him an extra hot car. Guess again. Since his first
race, three of which were at the end of last year, Travis, who is still
classified as a rookie, has been on the front row in every one of the
seven oval track races he has run. And that includes winning
three poles, as well as a second, to go with his two victories. Only on
the two road course races this year did he start with a view further
back. Gregg and Marco Andretti are the only Pro drivers to have
won two Pro races this year. Throughout the season, to date,
Travis has been in a very exciting battle for the Series points
championship, going back and forth, and in and out of first
place, first with Jon Herb, and then for the last four races with Wade
Cunningham. That’s one of the Travis Gregg’s – Travis the very
fast driver – pole sitter, race winner, and sometimes Series points
leader.
The other Travis is the one who understands the driver marketability
side of the racing business, and what he must offer to an IndyCar team
and the necessary sponsors at that level, which is where Travis wants
to end up – in IndyCars. In simple terms the story about Travis
is about branding.
What makes a driver unique, and not just a commodity? Why is
Helio Castroneves a brand name, and Penske, Foyt and Andretti?
Why are NASCAR’s Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
brand names? And then there is the newest IRL star and
brand name. Ms. Patrick is the product and Danica is the brand,
as in Danicamania. What makes drivers and team owners brand
names? It is the stories that are told about them. Why is
this important? Because big brand names attract more fans and new
fans, more media coverage, and they attract more sponsors and
sponsorship dollars.
Travis Gregg’s unique trademarks are his victory back flips, his
infectious photogenic smile, his outgoing personality, his friendliness
and his understanding of business. In the business area, we are
talking about the business needs of sponsors, and what those sponsors
must receive in return for putting out the kind of money that’s
necessary to support Pro Series and IndyCar teams and drivers.
We will tell you about the Travis Gregg who drives the Sam Schmidt
Motorsports white number 7, Lucas Oil Products sponsored, car with the
Lucas sponsored on-board camera that provides the ESPN2 great driver
view shots during the races for the tape delayed TV broadcast coverage
of the exciting Pro Series races. 
You can’t miss the bright, red Lucas Oil name on the car. On the
side of the car it is huge. The Lucas name is also on the top of
the car where the on-board camera will not miss it. Gregg wears a
classy blue, red and white driver’s suit with the Lucas name on it in
big and small letters. The Lucas name goes horizontal on the
front top of the suit and it goes vertical down the outside of the
pants legs. Like the car, you can’t miss the Lucas on
Travis. When Travis gets the microphone in Victory Circle after
winning a race you hear the name Lucas Oil first and then the name Sam
Schmidt. This young man has his priorities in the right
order.
Gregg knows that sponsorship is a two way street, and in today’s
very expensive world of open wheel racing, as a driver, he will likely
need to be able to deliver to them more than just the winner’s
trophy. That Travis has to be a very good driver is a required
given. This is especially true for the next level up,
IndyCar, where there are very few seats available, and the costs are
very high. There are also a lot of very good drivers, some of
them Pro Series graduates, who have not ended up driving in the IndyCar
Series. The driver supply exceeds the demand in today’s
market. When that is the case you better differentiate yourself
from the pack. That’s where branding comes into play. 
The IRL Pro Series provides the opportunity for more than just in-car
driver development. It also offers the opportunity for developing
those skills necessary for working effectively with fans, media and
sponsors; in short, becoming a recognized brand name. Just
remember, the IndyCar rookie, Danica Patrick, started learning and
developing her branding and marketability skills before she arrived in
the IndyCar Series. Her two years in the Toyota Atlantic Series
were invaluable for more than just racing.
While he was driving Formula Atlantic cars, which was before he spent
four years driving sprint cars on dirt tracks, Travis Gregg received a
business degree from Miami [Ohio] University in 2000. He also
understands the business of racing and sponsors because his family has
owned racing teams and has for years owned, and still does, a race
track in his hometown of Camden, Ohio.
When Travis is not racing or doing racing related promotions,
appearances, interviews, or autograph signings, he is working eight
hours a day in his family’s business. He understands the
essential and critical role that sponsorship will play on what he hopes
is his “fast track to Indy.” Travis also knows the importance of
relationships with the media and with fans. He is also learning
the advantages of being involved with a Public Relations Agency. [Right: Travis grabs some "fast" food.]
In our following two stories you will meet the two Travis Greggs on a
personal basis. In the first story there is Travis the fast,
winning race car driver, and then, in the second, you will meet the
other Travis, the one we think is on his way to developing into a major
brand name.
[For a head start, check out Travis’ official web site: www.travisgregg.com ]
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