QUEEN OF SPEED

A Woman in the Driver's Seat

By MATT WRYE

"What people really love is competition," she says about sports fans. "What I think NASCAR does is connect you to that competition directly."

California Speedway’s traditional race experience with Southern roots is morphing into a magnet for what Zucker calls "the wow factor" — rock ’n’ roll concerts, fancy dining, and a host of shows to captivate both race and non-race fans.

A Wolfgang Puck restaurant opened in summer 2006, and acts like 30 Seconds to Mars, The Kevin Costner Band and Sammy Hagar have performed there since then. "It’s basically a mini-theme park when you come inside," she said. "It’s sort of the spectacle of the Olympics with the emotion and excitement of a Super Bowl game." Only time will tell whether her innovative approach pays off, but the New York native isn’t concerned with what critics may think. Her long days turn into long nights when she stays up past midnight answering e-mails from race fans across the region. Besides, there’s a good chance some of them aren’t
hard-core NASCAR fans — people who get a kick out of immersing themselves in that one epic event for the year.

It’s no secret her marketing team is homing in on thrill-seekers, along with a NASCAR cyber community and a growing Latino population.

"When you look at the area we’re trying to capture, it’s vast," Zucker said. "We have many campaigns that stretch our budgets. It’s not easy."

Stockcar racing was a new subject to wrap her mind around, but the speedway president is no stranger to working in new environments. Sales and advertising gigs with minor league baseball teams in North Carolina and California earned her a step in the door to operating the Kansas Speedway from 1998 to 2001 and eventually becoming vice president of business operations at Florida’s Daytona International Speedway from 2001 to 2005. "I’ve had the experience of starting something from nothing," Zucker said, chuckling. "When you work in minor league baseball, you work a hundred hours a week."

She’ll need every bit of that stamina, and probably an extra helping. NASCAR racing is as close as kin to some people in the South and Midwest, but around here it’s like a distant cousin you only hear about once or twice a year.

Zucker’s charge from International Speedway Corporation bigwigs is to raise awareness of the 92,000-seat Fontana speedway site by attracting news media from Los Angeles and visitors from everywhere else.

Robin Braig, president of Daytona International Speedway, worked with Zucker for four years before she moved to California Speedway. He knows the arduous undertaking set before her.

"It seems like anything west of the Mississippi River, NASCAR isn’t in the mainstream," Braig said by phone from his office in Florida. "Selling tickets here is a heck of a lot easier than selling tickets on the West Coast."

Whatever the obstacles, Braig is confident Zucker is up to the challenge.

"She’s absolutely brilliant, wicked smart and tough," Braig said. "That toughness is probably what’s making her most fit for the LA market. Taking ‘No’ for an answer is not an option for her."

International Speedway Corporation’s senior vice president of business operations, Grant Lynch, said selling more tickets at California Speedway means attracting both diehard NASCAR fans and those who aren’t as enthusiastic about race cars.

"Minor league baseball has sold tickets in so many different packages, but historically, we’ve just sold tickets," Lynch said. "Gillian certainly brought a unique background in minor league baseball with her. Having somebody with her background and knowledge of promoting and selling tickets has been beneficial in many different ways."

"You like to rock out ... or hang out. Every event at California Speedway delivers entertainment far beyond the races. Last year, fans experienced free performances from Sammy Hagar and 30 Seconds to Mars as well as star sightings of global icons like Stevie Wonder and Kevin Costner ... Plus, the Opportunity, California FanZone area is packed with everything from the Metal Mulisha extreme motorcross show to amazing interactive sponsor displays with lots of free giveaways. And if you like food, don’t miss a tasty treat from King Taco or our Apex by Wolfgang Puck restaurant. There’s something for everyone."

Zucker’s 5 reasons to attend a NASCAR event at California Speedway

1. "You want an experience you will never forget! If you have never felt the adrenaline rush of 43 stock cars firing up their 800 horsepower engines at once, or felt goose bumps as jets fly overhead at the conclusion of a stirring rendition of our national anthem, you are missing out. No other sport brings its fans and its athletes together like NASCAR. From incorporating new technologies that literally put fans inside the car, to vendor-sponsored meet-and-greets with drivers, there is no other sport that reaches out to its fans like NASCAR."

2. "You like to rock out ... or hang out. Every event at California Speedway delivers entertainment far beyond the races. Last year, fans experienced free performances from Sammy Hagar and 30 Seconds to Mars as well as star sightings of global icons like Stevie Wonder and Kevin Costner ... Plus, the Opportunity, California FanZone area is packed with everything from the Metal Mulisha extreme motorcross show to amazing interactive sponsor displays with lots of free giveaways. And if you like food, don’t miss a tasty treat from King Taco or our Apex by Wolfgang Puck restaurant. There’s something for everyone."

3. "Se habla espanol. The signage at California Speedway is all bi-lingual as are our guest service locations and ticket ordering.

Check out our Spanish language Web site and our NASCAR 101 in Spanish, all found at www.californiaspeedway.com."

4. "Check out the world’s biggest block party. The Camping World Infield holds thousands of RVs inside the four turns of the Speedway. Many of these guests have been to every race since the track opened and they often refer to one another as their "NASCAR neighbors." Fans begin arriving the Thursday of event week and stay with us through the Monday following the race. The infield has all kinds of amenities including its own Stater Bros. grocery store, a Camping World store and tons for the kids to do."

5. "Great racing! The Car of Tomorrow debuts at California Speedway on Feb. 24. If you’re an avid race fan or a newcomer to NASCAR, this race promises to be the most competitive yet at California Speedway."