For Danville’s Doug Barnette at Player Management International, it was all in a day’s work. But getting Stewart-Haas Racing’s Ryan Preece all set with a Purdue University in Indianapolis sponsorship for Sunday’s NASCAR Brickyard at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was simply a perfect match. Purdue’s new Downtown Indianapolis campus opens in 2024, after separating from Indiana University at the long time IUPUI. So they’re getting the word out. And as for the driver, Ryan Preece, Barnett says team co-owner Tony Stewart liked what he saw, and hand picked him.
AUDIO: You know, he just finished 5th at Richmond a couple weeks ago. He’s a very talented guy; he’s just a pure racer, I love him. He’s a very authentic guy. I think that fact that Tony hand-selected him to be in that car will tell you that.
As Barnett points out, there’s a certain Western Indiana connection to Ryan Preece and Sunday’s race.
AUDIO: The crew chief of Ryan Preece is Chad Johnston, who’s from Cayuga, Indiana; he graduated from North Vermillion High School. I’ve been around Chad for a long time. This is my 25th year in NASCAR; and he’s been around for, not that long, but a long time. So it’s kind of cool.
Danville Area Convention and Visitor’s Bureau Executive Director Jeanie Cooke says as always, a nearby event like this can bring more visitors to Danville’s hotels before and after the event. And with hope that more hotels are coming along Lynch Road near the Golden Nugget casino; well, it looks like they’re going to be needed.
AUDIO: Well I certainly think so. I think, no matter, about the economy or anything that might happen, we’d always speak for more hotels. Choices and good; it’s a healthy industry here. So, it all kind of works together.
The Brickyard can be heard Sunday on Neuhoff Media’s 94.9 K-Rock, with the green flag dropping at 11:45 Illinois time, 12:45 Indiana time.
