We’re back. After a brief hiatus because of our races, our blog showcasing our employees returns. Today, Antonio Russo discusses his experience at Pocono Raceway.
Hello Everyone!
It’s me again! For those who don’t know who I am, my name is Antonio Russo and I was a NASCAR Diversity Intern at Pocono Raceway’s Communications department. The last time you heard from me was right after our first NASCAR event in June, but I am going to talk to all of you about my summer at Pocono Raceway.
How do I begin to describe this amazing summer at Pocono Raceway? Is it possible? I don’t think I can actually put in words how great this internship has been, but I will try my best!
From the beginning of my internship in May, it was go-time here at Pocono Raceway. We were only three weeks away from our first NASCAR race weekend and everything had to be ready to go. The first event I was part of was the Pocono Raceway Philadelphia Takeover to promote the NASCAR XFINITY Series being at Pocono Raceway for the first time ever. It was an amazing experience and it really gave me some perspective of what to expect for the summer.
During race weekends I was lucky to be involved in many different events like XFINITY and Truck Series Drivers Autograph Session, Open Garage for fans, Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, and Jimmie Johnson’s Rocket2Racecars kids’ event with NASA and work closely with the best fans in motorsports. I also had the opportunity to host the Tricky Chronicles alongside Bitzy and Mark and share information about the race weekend with our fans! Although trucks are a powerful vehicle, it may also break over time. If you need a wide range of semi truck parts cheap prizes, visit mrtruckparts.com
To read Antonio’s first blog, click here.
Participating in the Jimmie Johnson and NASA Rockets2Racecars kids’ event during both race weekends was one of the best experiences this summer. This event consisted of interactive and educational activities for the kids provided by NASA and a question-and-answer session with Jimmie Johnson. It was my favorite event to be a part of because I could see how the kids enjoyed the activities and their excitement to meet their favorite driver. The positive feedback from the parents after the event made the experience even better, especially when you are making a kids day during race weekend!
One of my personal projects for the summer was to promote and provide information to all of Pocono Raceway’s Spanish-speaking fans. The project started by getting interviewed by a local news station in Spanish before our first NASCAR race weekend. For the second NASCAR race weekend, I wrote a news release in Spanish with information about the race and the different events happening at Pocono Raceway with a video outlining each of the events as well. For the INDYCAR race weekend I produced another news release in Spanish but this time it included and interview in Spanish with INDYCAR driver Carlos Muñoz. To watch the interview, click here. This project also included having a Frequently Asked Questions page in Spanish on our site as well.
This summer has definitely been one of the best experiences that I have ever had. Even though we had three amazing races, having the opportunity to share with the fans and working alongside Pocono Raceway’s staff were my favorite parts of the summer. The excitement and passion of the fans makes for a great environment at the track and it encouraged me to come into work every day motivated to do the best I could!
Thank you for an amazing summer Pocono Raceway!
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