I do not know if you have noticed, but a common theme has begun to emerge in these posts. Contacts and relationships are vital to success within the sport. I know, I know, that is true other places too, but in NASCAR without that contact it is very difficult to even get your foot in the door. So today I will discuss some things key to networking in the business.

First and foremost, if you are truly serious about a career in this business, it will be nearly impossible to get hired if you do not live in Charlotte. There are a couple of teams located outside of the Charlotte metro area, most notably ThorSport Racing in Sandusky, Ohio and Furniture Row Racing out of Denver, Colorado, but they are the exception, not the rule. Generally, when a team needs to fill a position, they need that person immediately, waiting for someone to move from Washington state, or Indiana is not usually going to be the best option.  When moving to Charlotte, it is important to figure out the best place to move. Chances are you are not going to meet too many crew chiefs, or crew members for that matter living in South Charlotte or Gastonia. It is a good distance from most of the facilities and away from much of the NASCAR community. Northern Mecklenburg and Southern Iredell counties are the best bet for moving in next door to a crew chief (do not count on that happening though). Rent, real estate prices and traffic are high, but team employees are a dime a dozen. While your first job in Charlotte may not be within the sport, take the opportunity to network and build those relationships that will pay off in the future.

That being said, bugging people about positions and using racing as the foundation for a relationship is not the best way to do things. Team members can smell a fan, or someone looking for a job a mile away and chances are they will be instantly turned off. Also approaching people you recognize while they are out and about is a sure fire way to irritate them. Be careful how you go about forming relationships, because that could greatly affect their benefit later on.

If you are looking for a job and are determined to be at the track right away there are some options for people with no prior racing experience. Mobile marketing companies set up the midway areas at the race tracks and they often hire people with no racing background. While you will not be inside the track it is a chance to meet others who are. This does come with a warning though. These jobs are very labor intensive and the pay is not very good. In addition to the mobile marketing option, Champion Tire and Wheel, which handles all of the tires for the series and the pit boxes for the Cup series, will get you inside the race track; another great opportunity to meet people. You are actually inside the track interacting with crew members, really no better place to cultivate relationships. Another warning though, I believe most of the positions with Champion require a class A CDL, and this is not the most entertaining work in the world.

If a move to Charlotte is not in the cards right now, there are other options. Get involved with local racing series. They are a great place to meet the future of the sport, and to network with those who have connections within this sport. While this may not be the fast track to a NASCAR career, it, at the very least, gets you experience in racing. Also, if there is a major track in your town which hosts NASCAR events, see what positions are available there. When the races come to town you will be on the front lines, making sure the event runs smoothly.

Finally, once you have built these relationships do everything in your power to maintain them. Because the community is so small, if you burn one bridge, chances are you are burning 50 other bridges. That means missing out on opportunities, and building a poor reputation. That poor reputation can get you blacklisted at every team in town. I have seen it happen more than once.

Ultimately, building these relationships will get you where you want to go within the sport. If you have bad relationships, you will have bad results. Make sure you are kind and positive to everyone you meet because you never know who will make the difference

This is the third in the So You Want to Work in NASCAR series. Please remember if you would like some advice, feel free to email either T.C. or myself. While we do want to give you the tools to find a job, we will not be serving as references or giving out information on open positions we know about. In other words we will not find you a job.

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