‘There’s a lot of NASCAR fans in the suburbs’: Brad Keselowski on growing the fan base ahead of Chicago street race

It’s an unconventional sports marketing sponsorship in an unconventional stock car race: Brad Keselowski will be behind the wheel of the No. 6 Ford Mustang — complete with Elk Grove Village’s “Makers Wanted” decals — during the NASCAR Chicago Street Race on Sunday.

Not only is it the second year for the 2.2-mile Chicago downtown street course, but it’s also the suburban municipality’s second $400,000 sponsorship of the Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing team.

That gives the local government rights to affix its tagline and associated branding — seen as a way to market the sprawling industrial park — to the race car, Keselowski’s firesuit, and signage in and around his crew’s pit.

Keselowski, who by day runs Statesville, North Carolina-based Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing, also appears in two commercials touting Elk Grove Village as a friendly place to do business. With an additional $250,000 marketing budget, the village’s 30-second spots already have been running on cable TV in the Midwest, and will air nationally on NBC during the 3:30 p.m. race Sunday.

During an appearance Thursday night at Elk Grove’s Fourth of July festivities, Keselowski spoke to the Daily Herald about his unique deal with the Northwest suburb, the sport’s growth in urban and suburban areas, and his thoughts on Sunday’s 12-turn, 75-lap Grant Park 165 race. Here is an edited transcript:

Q. Besides last year’s race in Chicago, had you ever raced on a street course before?

A. No. All of our tracks outside of this are purpose-built. It’s unique. It’s new to NASCAR. … We normally race in areas that are more on the outskirts of towns. But it’s nice to bring the race to the people.

Q. Amid the rain during last year’s inaugural Chicago race, what were the challenges you dealt with in the race?

A. Probably the biggest challenge was the track being so wet. Just really difficult to drive. A lot of survival-type racing where you’re like, Hey, we just got to make it through this lap without crashing, which is different (than) the normal race of strategy and all those other things.

Q. Having navigated that course before and with good conditions anticipated Sunday, do you think it’ll be easier for you this time?

A. There’s one thing I know about the Midwest: if you wait 5 minutes, the weather will change. So I hate to promise any types of conditions for Sunday, but assuming it’s not raining, I think you’ll see a more aggressive race than you saw last time.

Q. For those new to the sport, how fast are you going on a turn versus a straight?

A. You’re probably looking at somewhere around 140-150 mph max speed. And minimum speeds of around 25 mph.

Q. From a driving point of view, do you look forward to a race like this?

A. We just know it’s a big challenge. There’s no room for error. Most tracks have run off. You can be a little wide and you don’t have to worry about it. This track here, you miss it by a little bit, you hit the wall. So it is very, very challenging.

Q. Do you see street races as a viable business opportunity for NASCAR?

A. I can’t say I see the economics of NASCAR, from the team perspective. … generally when we race in cities it’s better for our partners, and that really drives our business.

Q. What do you think about Chicago specifically as a market for NASCAR to grow in, and urban centers in general?

A. Chicago is a very unique opportunity for us. It’s a city that we didn’t have a lot of exposure to, that we’ve kind of identified as having a lot of race fans in or around it. It’s something we can really embrace if we do it right.

Q. Are there are a lot of fans in urban and suburban areas versus rural areas?

A. There’s a lot of NASCAR fans in this area, this community, the Midwest. I’m from Michigan, so I totally know it. You don’t always know it when you get deep inside the cities, but you know there’s a lot of suburbs. And there’s a lot of NASCAR fans in the suburbs.

Q. Besides racing at the Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, did you come to the Chicago area growing up?

A. We drove here a few times for races. My dad (Bob) and uncle (Ron) actually raced when they raced in Soldier Field.

Q. Of all the sponsorships you’ve had as a driver, have you had one as unconventional as this with Elk Grove Village, a governmental municipality?

A. It’s a unique partnership, but it’s a sensible one. You look at what the mayor (Craig Johnson) is trying to do with this area, and what a lot of our NASCAR fan (base) represents is a blue-collar America, a strong work ethic, believes in American manufacturing and jobs. And I think the connection is just a logical one.

Q. How did you get into the manufacturing business?

A. I come from a family that embraced manufacturing, from my grandfathers and my dad. A lot of motor sports is making your own car, so it’s manufacturing intensive. So you build those experiences and meet those people and you just try to capitalize on it.