At certain races throughout the season, race teams with major sponsors will get visited by that company’s big wigs.  It may be that certain races are close to their corporate headquarters, maybe the team is running a special paint scheme, or maybe that company is making a big announcement.  Whatever the reason, when these folks make an appearance at the track, it’s always a big deal.

Most companies who sponsor a race team at the highest levels are represented at each race.  They either have a marketing company who looks after the sponsor program for them, or they have their own rep who comes to the track.  These folks make sure the company is represented as it should be, and they are busy with things like driver appearances and hospitality.

When people from a company’s executive team are planning on showing up at the track however, it’s always easy to tell. 

For whatever reason in racing, the important people for a team always seem to wear pressed white shirts at the track.  The next time you’re at a race and walking around the infield, pay attention to this.  Many team owners and their business people will be wearing this uniform.

These pressed white shirts are always the first clue.  When XYZ Co.’s CEO is at the track, there always seems to be a big conglomeration of white shirted folks hanging around the hauler and the pit.

Another clue is often the disappearance of the driver and sponsor rep/PR person for any duration of the day.  Often times the driver will head out to a company’s hospitality tent or trackside suite to meet with the people who pay big money for them to race.  They will do everything from Q&A sessions with company guests, to private sit down meetings.

One last clue can be seen right before the race.  There are always a gazillion people on pit road before the race starts.  Everybody from crew guys, media folks, fans and the like will crowd around the cars before the drivers climb in.  When the execs are at the race, there will always be a much bigger crowd around that particular car.  Company employees will meet with the driver, get a chance to see the car, and pose for photo ops.

For Fortune 500 companies that spend $15-25 million a year to sponsor a race team, it’s always good when these people get a chance to come to the track.  Watching on TV or seeing still photos is one thing, but seeing their dollars at work, in front of a hundred thousand fans, is hopefully all they need to keep cutting those checks.

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