(Featured image courtesy of Matthew Longfellow)
Capital’s NASCAR Club has been in full force for one year, and the club of racing enthusiasts has 20 registered members.
The idea for the club came after President Matthew Longfellow gathered a group of his friends to watch the Daytona 500.
“That inspired me to want to have more race watch parties to introduce a wider audience to the sport I love,” said Longfellow.
The club’s main focus is gathering to watch NASCAR races, which they do once a month.
Longfellow said, “We also try to watch at least one NASCAR-related movie or documentary a semester. We have previously watched films such as Cars and Talladega Nights. This semester we are planning on watching Uppity: The Willy T. Ribbs story, which is a documentary about an African-American race car driver, in conjunction with Ebony Brotherhood Association.”
In addition to working with Ebony Brotherhood Association, NASCAR Club hosted their largest event, NASCAR-Palooza, with AMP last fall.
NASCAR Club has also collaborated with Film Club, Embrace Ministries, and Circle K International.
Longfellow disclosed the club’s key to success is making their events fun by providing food, giveaways, and activities.
“I realize that watching a four hour NASCAR race isn’t the most exciting thing for everyone, but by turning it into a party, we can make it enjoyable and accessible for everyone, whether they are a huge NASCAR fan or just watching their first race,” said Longfellow.
COVID-19 has created challenges for NASCAR Club; however, they’ve still managed to gain members throughout the course of the pandemic.
“…starting an organization [for] a sport that has traditionally not been super popular with younger people required a lot of outside of the box thinking to begin with, so we were well prepared to continue to think outside the box to deal with COVID. We have experimented with virtual events, both on zoom and our social media, and [we have] gotten some engagement that way,” said Longfellow.
NASCAR Club plans on attending a NASCAR race in the fall of 2021, pending the status of the pandemic.
Longfellow said, “In my experience, taking someone to a race is really what gets someone hooked on the sport; hearing the roar of the engines and seeing the cars zoom by at more than 180 miles an hour. I’d love for the friends I’ve made through this organization to get to experience that in person.”
In regards to NASCAR Club’s future, Longfellow is optimistic the club will continue to grow.
Longfellow concluded the interview by saying, “…if there is anything I’ve learned about this organization, it is that it can go so many places I didn’t think were possible, so the sky’s the limit on where we might go in the future.”
