TRI-CITY SPEEDWAY AND McDONALD'S TEAM TOGETHER IN FRANKLIN
by Brian Spaid

May 19, 2006 

   Sponsorship is the heart of auto racing. From the early years of motorsports to the modern day era of colorful race cars with drivers and teams in uniforms plastered with corporate logos, the key component is sponsorship money. Without it, auto racing would cease due to the cost to run the cars and tracks.

   At the local level, on any given Sunday night at Tri-City Speedway, it is common to see race cars sporting the logos and names of various local companies. In victory lane, some drivers are able to list over a dozen sponsors.

   The key to sponsorship, however, is to develop a marketing strategy that allows the race team or race track to work with the sponsor such that both benefit from mutual exposure.

   This season, the most obvious example of an effective marketing strategy is the relationship between Tri-City and the local McDonald’s Restaurants.

   In 2005, the two tied the knot to start a coupon program with tickets sold at the track. The popularity of the program became clear recently when the Franklin restaurant commenced renovations with a focus on local auto racing. Under the watchful of Chuck Hallstein, who is vice president of M&J Management of Pittsburgh, which owns the McDonald’s Restaurants in Cranberry, Franklin and Oil City, the racing-themed restaurant is becoming a popular stop in town.

   “It’s incredible,” said Hallstein. “We’ve had a lot of compliments about our plans. People are looking in the windows and stopping by. We teamed with Tri-City to market each other and it’s a match made in heaven. The buzz about our changes is amazing.”

   Hallstein recalls when his company decided to find a marketing partner in Venango County.

   “Three years ago, we looked around and decided that we needed to hook up with another community asset to show our support for the local area. We heard about Tri-City and met with the owners. We all realized that this was going to be good for both of us.”

   Hallstein knew that racing was popular in the area. Even as he commenced talks with Tri-City, he envisioned that the Franklin store would be an excellent venue to promote the sport.

   “McDonald’s is always undergoing changes to modernize,” said Hallstein. “We want to stay fresh and current. We want to provide a value to our customers and make them have a different experience. The racing theme became the heart of our renovation project.”

   Over the last couple of weeks, vast changes started to occur. A new service area was installed with a checkered flag front. New seating will be installed along with four flat screen televisions and WiFi internet service for customers. As a result, a new restaurant experience will enter Franklin as well as a reflection on the history and current stars of area motorsports.

   “We intend to pay tribute to the historic drivers and legends from Tri-City with a wall of fame,” said Hallstein. “We’re going to put together pictures and collages of the all-time greats and bring back a lot of memories. Then, on the opposite wall, we’ll focus on the modern day heroes of Tri-City.”

   For Hallstein, the project is one that is filled with excitement and fun.

   “Venango County is an excellent area for our company,” said Hallstein. “We love the people. We have a nice base of about 150 employees at all three restaurants combined. We a good management team made up of local people at each location, such as Jeff Rodgers and Bobbie Wolbert at the Franklin store. We are able to market our stores in a more relaxed and fun manner. In the local newspapers, The Derrick and The News-Herald, and with the area billboard companies, we can market ourselves in a much different way than the urban area surrounding Pittsburgh.”

   With all those benefits, it begs the question about the reasons M&J Management would invest in sponsorship and marketing with Tri-City.

   “Tri-City is an asset to the community,” said Hallstein. “Thousands of fans visit every summer. Every community needs more family events, and it’s nice to take your family to Tri-City on a Sunday night and enjoy the races. It’s also relatively inexpensive to do so. For us, the fans at Tri-City are our customers too.”

   With the marriage complete between the two companies, it was natural for the local restaurant to become perhaps the only one in the nation with a theme based on local auto racing.

   “We wanted something unique that was not overwhelming with NASCAR and McDonald’s race cars. Tri-City, its history, its drivers, and its fans provide that unique aspect.”

   The grand opening of the newly renovated Franklin McDonald’s will occur on June 24^th.