(Press Release from Stafford Motor Speedway)
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Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series star Kevin Harvick and his company KHI Management are back in Connecticut short track racing.
Partnering with Stafford Speedway in Stafford Springs, CT for the 2nd consecutive season, Harvick and KHI Management are set to present the same two weekly bonuses to Stafford’s SK Modified® division as last season but increased from a total of $125 per week to $250 per week.
“The program we pulled together with the team at Stafford last year was a lot of fun,” explained Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. “I enjoyed keeping tabs on the results up at Stafford and we are excited to be back again in 2019. This year we decided to double the bonus, $250 for the leader on lap 13 and $250 for the 13th place finisher.”
Harvick and KHI Management joined the Stafford Speedway contingency program at the beginning of the 2018 season posting a weekly bonus in honor of the late driver Ted Christopher who passed away suddenly in the fall of 2017.
Christopher, who ran the #13 for most of his career, is the all-time winningest driver in Stafford Speedway history and was one of the most celebrated drivers in short track racing.
“Kevin gets it, he cut his teeth on the short tracks of the West,” explained Paul Arute of Stafford Speedway. “The path to the top of the sport has changed in the last 20 years but short tracks are still here, the weekly racer still exists, and we are thankful that one of the top drivers in the sport recognizes that. The racing in the SK Modified® division is second to none and our drivers are sensational talents, throwing an additional $500 bonus into the mix just turns up the intensity on our weekly racing. A big thank you to Kevin and KHI Management.”
In the first year of the program, 21 different drivers won the bonus led by Keith Rocco, Michael Christopher Jr, and Joey Cipriano, who each won the lap-13 leader bonus 4 times. 18 different drivers won the 13th place finisher bonus led by SK Modified® Rookie of the Year David Arute.
“Everyone here at KHI Management knows the importance of short track racing in our sport and understand every dollar we can give back to the weekly racer helps,” continued Harvick. “We’re glad we can play a small part in the weekly program at Stafford. Good luck to all the drivers at Stafford in 2019, we’ll be keeping an eye on those results.”
The 2019 race season at Stafford kicks off April 27th and 28th for the 48th Annual NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler. Tickets for the “Greatest Race in the History of Spring” are on sale now by calling the Speedway Box Office 860-684-2783 or online at www.staffordspeedway.com.
Gotta say that is really cool. First repeating it after the bloom is off the rose from last year then doubling it.
Did the Speed51 article have any affect on this? Maybe, maybe not.
Doug,
I can assure you the Speed51 article chastising Monster Energy Cup Series drivers for not participating in short track events had NOTHING to do with this happening. This was already set to happen long before the Speed51 article was published.
Even cooler!
Folks, you need to understand that KHI Management is a…
“KHI Management, LLC is a full-service sports and celebrity-marketing agency representing some of the most successful and high-profile professionals in the sports, broadcasting and music industries as well as offering a variety of consulting and marketing services to corporate sponsors. In representing many of the biggest names in NASCAR, UFC, PGA, motocross and the music industry, KHI Management consistently maximizes their client’s brand awareness and marketplace value.”
This bonus is all about increasing the value of the KHI brand. KHI is capitalizing on the Stafford favorite TC and #13. All for the low, low, low price of two $250 awards, totaling at $500. First and foremost, KHI is fishing for more clients with bonuses like this. For KHI, this is an incredibly small, trivial, insignificant, negligible advertising fee to get visibility and access to potential clients. Sure, for those of you that complain about season ticket prices going up by 32¢ per week, and complaining about a 90 sec. wait on the ticket line or the fry-o-lator line, you were impressed with a $250 bonus, and will be awestruck with a $500 bonus. But in the big picture, $500 is not much at all, and is not much towards the cost of running a car in an event. And that $500 is actually two $250 awards. That this bonus was doubled is telling. Many of you have no idea what it takes to run a car. It’s expensive. There is far more than tires, gas and gates. When all costs involved, such as wear & tear, insurance, all consumables such as brakes, and engine costs and refreshes are considered and accounted, it costs thousands to run a car in a race.
So if KHI or other talent management companies want to use Stafford to recruit new clients, Stafford needs to, or can, dramatically raise its minimum bonus award fee to these firms.
Totally cool of Kevin and KHI to offer this bonus again. Even cooler that they doubled it.
dareal to khi is like aoc to wells fargo ceo.
Dareal let us know how much you have donated , and before you start I’m not even a Harvick fan, $250 to some teams is big
See this is why DGF is the single most important contributor to the racedayct comment forum. While everyone that supports racing locally sees a few more bucks coming the way of teams from a nationally known driving personality, DGF goes deeper to find the real motivations afoot that are the opposite of altruistic. In the process forcing lesser minds such as myself to do a little research on something that would normally go over my head as a pleasant anecdote were it not for DGF. A bonus is his trade mark that not only interprets the reasons for the money offered in a cynical and self serving way but uses it as a weapon to make the point that most of the rest of us are naive, petty and stupid.
Bravo DGF………it’s brilliant. OK I’ll bite.
I would question whether there are sufficient fish in the little pond of Stafford to be trolling for new clients. KHI Management has nationally known clients across major sports including by the by our hero Ryan Preece. KHI Management using the bonus as a marketing tool to gain favorable attention from major sports figures to attract them to their stable of clients? I don’t see wrestling or golf sports personalities flocking to KHI Management simply because they’re passing out local bonuses. It’s possible, tax deductible for sure as a marketing expense but actually attracting top level pros…….unlikely.
Based on an average of 17 races it’s $8500. Looking at it another way couldn’t that be the tire budget for one or more teams. Not exactly insignificant. Another link in the chain of added money that in total is significant.
Local fans too dumb to understand how much racing costs these days………ridiculous. It’s a common theme with many in the forum having specific information and knowledge of the costs of engine, chassis and other components within a few hundred dollars. Endlessly referring to the cost of racing and their affect on participation and the types of people that can afford to field cars.
Stafford raise it’s minimum bonus? What the heck is that all about? Stafford should be requiring people out of blue to meet minimum standards and take the chance of demanding too much and blocking money from getting to teams. Hows that conversation go? Contributor: ” I want to offer a weekly bonus of a few hundred bucks to teams as a gesture of support for the sport.” Stafford: “sorry, not enough. Doesn’t meet our minimum. Try Waterford, they’ll take any amount.”
Dad gum it DGF you got me again. To think dumb old me just thought it was simply “cool”.
Agree with you elect . And FYI dareal anyone can become a contingency sponsor for as low as $25 per week. Going back to last year Kevin made it clear that this money was being given in memory of TC. This from a guy who probly never seen Stafford Speedway, having grown up and raced on the west coast. But he knew the legacy that Teddy was, and wanted people to remember that legacy. Next time think it through before submitting something that does nothing more than offend people.
Seriously… After 25+ years on the interwebs, I’m pretty good at ignoring trolls…
But!
Dareal… It’s a sponsorship, just like every sticker on every car in every class… Sponsorship is advertising, rarely charity. This is racing, and every buck from a legal, legit, source is a positive contribution, If the sponsorship helps both parties, it’s a true victory.
And I thought that’s what companies were supposed to do , try to improve business, add customers , increase the bottom line and maybe at some point even be able to sell a thriving business , I hope KHI makes a bundle and keeps on donating. Some racer I’m sure will be appreciative when they finish 13th
And whenever the bonus is mentioned and given out in memory of TC, the KHI management name gets mentioned. If this was all about the memory of TC, it could be done out of a foundation, not a marketing business. This buys exposure for a MARKETING firm. doh.
Keep in mind that one car will most likely not win both awards in one race. Leading the 13th lap and then finishing 13th is not what someone wants to do. I have to think there will be many different cars leading the 13th lap and many different cars finishing 13th throughout the season.
To the typical person in the stands, $250 equates to two cartons of cigarettes and a few beers, or about ten 30-pack cases of Bud. That’s a GIANT windfall to a fan. To a team spending thousands to run a single event… $250 can be the team pizza party after the race. Far from a windfall. Maybe 3-5% of the event expenses. To KHI, it is exposure and cheap advertising. Think about this… why double the award this year? Because the $250 total (2x $125) was really insignificant, wouldn’t even cover a pizza party after the race. I bet KHI/Harvick was being razzed for being so cheap. The memory of TC is worth far more. And TC probably did far more than $500 in damages to other cars and his own in most races. 😌
This bonus is huge for SK Mod teams! $250 per race would get primary sponsorship on any car in the field! $250 * 20 races = $5000. Find me a team that has a sponsor (that isn’t family-related business) that contributes $5000 each year, you won’t find more than a few!
I bet KHI won’t get a single client for this sponsorship, what this gives them is an excellent public relations image in giving back to short track racing that they can brag about on social media.
Stafford does it the right way once again in securing this contingency! Open your eyes Thompson Speedway.
Oh this is getting better. Using the TC legacy to make a point defending it’s value then reverting back to trashing his driving style that was a staple in this very forum in years past. As well as fans being cigarette smoking, beer guzzling ignoramuses that don’t know they’re being sold a bill of goods.
A troll you say. Super troll maybe. Having sport with those of us dumb enough to weigh in. There is no way DGF believes any of this nonsense. Moreover it may be possible he’s emulating a certain president he hates, known for some pretty bizarre statements on occasion designed for no other reason then to get a reaction and control the news cycle.
It’s mockery, not commentary.
For any of the racers that have two chances to win an extra $250 at each event this season, I’m pretty sure they will be happy and appreciative of the opportunity to accept it, as will the track be happy to be able to award it. It astounds me that anyone would think that is not a good thing.
If KHI was offering this bonus to gain exposure in this area, there are allot of venues that would gain them more exposure for the same amount of money.
The constant nagging by Stafford management and others on social media to get Harvick and his family to make an appearance or race at the track is getting old.