Doosan hosted more than 150 customers and dealers from the United States and Canada to join them for its 6th annual customer appreciation weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway Oct. 27 and 28.
Guests toured Doosan Infracore America Corp. headquarters in Suwannee, Ga., getting a good look at the 176,000-sq.-ft. facility and a behind the scenes view of where their parts come from, as well as the stocking area for all 68,000 line items. During the parts area presentation, Doosan’s Steven Romero reminded guests of the company’s 48 hour parts delivery guarantee.
After the tour, it was back to the hotel for a cocktail party and dinner. Racing, of course, was the theme for the evening’s event and after dinner the crowd delighted in the stories of keynote speaker Doug Rice, president of Performance Racing Network, who shared his NASCAR stories.
On Oct. 28, it was back on the buses and off to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Pep Boys Auto 500. Special guest Denny Hamlin, driver of the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 FedEx car, made an appearance and spoke to the crowd before he headed trackside to prepare for the race.
Groups were escorted to the pit area where they got an up close view of what takes place behind the scenes during a NASCAR race and the extensive work that is required to fully prepare each car for 500 mi. on a 1.54 mi. quad oval track. The true Joe Gibbs Racing enthusiasts in the crowd had their cameras out and were busy taking pictures of the trio of JGR Chevrolets: Tony Stewart’s No. 20 Home Depot car; J.J. Yeley’s No. 18 Interstate Batteries car and Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 FedEx car.
After the pit tours, it was up to the luxury suites high atop turn three to watch the start of the race on one of the fastest tracks on the NASCAR circuit.
Trading paint, blown tires, engine and fuel issues gave the spectators plenty to watch, and plenty to wait for. With an Atlanta Motor Speedway record 14 yellow flags, one red flag and a checkered flag that was flying during the final caution, resulting in Jimmie Johnson cruising to a victory under pace car speed, this was one race that will be talked about for years to come.
First time race attendees, Michael and Cheryl Winn of Nationwide Equipment, Jacksonville, Fla., said the event was incredible. “The smell, the sounds … everything was incredible. If you’ve never been, you have no idea what it’s like. Doosan and their hospitality and professionalism definitely made the experience even more exciting,” they said.
