I’ve teased it the last two episodes of the podcast, but I’ve finally launched our Patreon page to allow you, our listeners and readers, to become a part of what we’re doing here and to hopefully provide us with the support to do even more.
We launched The SuperSpeedway a little over a year ago, a couple of races into the 2017 season. When James and I recorded our first podcast, we had aspirations for what this could become, but we had no idea it would move as fast as it has.
Last year, on a whim, I decided to apply for press credentials to the Eldora Dirt Derby Camping World Truck Series race at Eldora Speedway. I didn’t expect to be approved. I already had a ticket to the event — one that I’ve attended since the inaugural race. But I thought what the heck? The worst they can do is tell me no.
To my surprise, I was approved. I lived what I thought would be a once-in-a-lifetime moment that weekend (well, that Tuesday and Wednesday) as I worked as a member of the media, taking photos and reporting on an actual NASCAR race. Not only that, but I was there in victory lane when Matt Crafton celebrated his victory. And with my heart in my throat, I stood up in the media center and asked him a question after the race.
Again, on a whim, I applied for press credentials to the Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Again, to my surprise, I was approved. This time it was myself and James who got to cover a race, but this was a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race.
Since then we’ve had meetings with the MIS Manager of Media Relations on several occasions, and have built a relationship that will allow us to cover more races. We have already been approved for credentials to both races at MIS in 2018, as well as the Quacker State 400 weekend at Kentucky Speedway. We also plan to cover Eldora again this year, as well as the Cup race weekend at Chicagoland Speedway.
What started as a hobby and a bit of fun is quickly becoming a real opportunity. But it’s one we need some help with being able to afford. I don’t have a problem having a few ads on our site and a sponsor or two on the podcast, but I don’t intend to put our content behind a paywall and clutter the screen with popup ads and other garbage to try and make a buck. So I decided to turn to Patreon, which is helping creators like us get paid for their work.
If you like what we’re doing, please consider becoming a patron. There are several tiers you can choose, with different rewards for each tier. Most importantly you’ll be helping us get to these tracks and provide you with more coverage. At this point we’re not doing this so we can line our wallets. We’re planning on putting everything back into the work we are doing, toward travel, hotel rooms, equipment and more to continue providing you with NASCAR coverage, as so many other media outlets are cutting their coverage in the interest of cost savings.
Consider becoming a patron. Check out our Patreon page and we thank you for your support. And if you choose not to, that’s fine too. We’ll keep up with the weekly podcast and whatever else we can afford to do throughout the season.
The SuperSpeedway NASCAR Podcast and News 