MAY
2001
2001
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MAY
2001 |
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NASCARStory by Khaalid Walls
As fast as NASCAR race cars zoom around the tracks, the spectator motorsport’s fan base has grown, too. To showcase the teamwork and quality that go into every product, the UAW has teamed with some of the world’s biggest automakers and suppliers. For longtime NASCAR fan UAW Local 57 retiree Clarence McDonald of Houghton, Mich., the roar of the NASCAR races is music to his ears. McDonald says he just loves the screeching door-to-door action of the sport. “The qualifying is so competitive,” said McDonald. “They get down to 1/1000 of a second.” Among the sounds that McDonald enjoys hearing during the races is the voice of the commentator announcing the “UAW-Delphi sponsored car.” “When I hear the announcer say the UAW-Delphi, GM or Dodge car, it means quality and pride to me,” said McDonald. “It makes me feel good to see the union that I am proud to be in involved with a sport that I love,” said McDonald.
Traveling to NASCAR races throughout the season, the UAW-GM Motorsports Exhibit gives racing enthusiasts the opportunity to talk with UAW-represented GM workers who actually build the cars and trucks on the road today. Since 1995, the UAW-GM Quality 500 event has been a Winston Cup series favorite at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C. Every autumn, fans pack the stands to enjoy both the exhibit as well as the race. “The UAW-GM Motorsports Exhibit provides an exciting way to let the public know that UAW members at GM are proud to build the cars, trucks and powertrains that people want to see on the track and drive home after the race,” said UAW Vice President Richard Shoemaker, director of the union’s General Motors Department. For the past decade, this UAW-GM sponsored program has compared the teamwork that goes into building a vehicle with the contributions of a pit crew, which works to keep a race car roaring around the tracks. Last October, as part of Delphi’s launch of its aftermarket brand, the UAW and the company became a three-year sponsor of a NASCAR Winston Cup team. The Hendrick Motorsports’ car No. 25, driven by Jerry Nadeau, has the UAW and the Delphi Aftermarket Operation logos prominently displayed on its hood. “Our partnership with Delphi will bring increased attention to the outstanding products that the men and women of the UAW build,” said Shoemaker, who also heads UAW negotiations with Delphi. “Solid Delphi sales represent job security for our members.” With NASCAR’s growing popularity, the UAW-Delphi alliance is effectively generating increased awareness about the commitment of both the UAW and Delphi to product excellence. “UAW-DaimlerChrysler, Racing Toward the Future.” That’s the slogan for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler’s extensive racing program, which includes a UAW-Dodge/National Training Center Winston Cup Series-sponsored team, an informative and interactive NTC exhibit, and the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 competition. The UAW and the NTC are also co-sponsoring two Dodge Intrepid R/T race cars in the Winston Cup Series--Bill Elliot’s No. 9 and Casey Atwood’s No. 19.
And that slogan says exactly what the UAW-DaimlerChrysler racing programs are doing. These joint programs spotlight the productive teamwork that the union and management share from the past and into the future. In addition to the programs themselves, the transportation truck that keeps the whole show on the road is driven by UAW members. This huge 18-wheeler also bears the UAW-NTC logo. “It’s a dream job for a truck driver,” said UAW Local 212 Tom Cleland, who drives the bright red UAW-NTC 18-wheeler. “It’s a fantasy come true.” When Cleland is not keeping the UAW-DaimlerChrysler racing program on the road, he’s a DaimlerChrysler Transportation truck driver out of Detroit’s Lynch Road terminal. Cleland saw Bill Elliot win the pole position when Dodge was re-introduced to the Winston Cup circuit. The UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400, which was the third event of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup season, featured UAW President Stephen P. Yokich waving the green flag to start the race. “Teamwork is at the core of business success and winning races. And what better way to put emphasis on that commitment that than to recognize the UAW members, who build these vehicles, by NASCAR sponsorship,” said UAW Vice President Nate Gooden, who directs the union’s DaimlerChrysler Department. In addition to the UAW’s NASCAR sponsorship at the races, these programs are extending support to the community as well. The UAW and each of the automakers contribute to a host of charities and community outreach programs. Establishing itself as one the nation’s top spectator sports, NASCAR made headlines with a $2.4 billion deal with FOX, NBC, and Turner networks. This major broadcasting deal ranks NASCAR with the likes of the NBA and NFL in audience appeal. Each year, more than six million fans attend NASCAR races and 112 million families watch Winston Cup events on TV.
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