IndyCar
IRL: McGehee Keeps Pounding The Pavement
ST. LOUIS (Sept. 9, 1999) – The dog days of summer might mean plenty of breathing room between races for Energizer Motorsports driver Robby McGehee and his Pep Boys Indy Racing League team. But the 26-year-old from St. Louis, who earned the ...
Edited: Mar 27, 2008, 5:47 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
ST. LOUIS (Sept. 9, 1999) – The dog days of summer might mean plenty of breathing room between races for Energizer Motorsports driver Robby McGehee and his Pep Boys Indy Racing League team.
But the 26-year-old from St. Louis, who earned the distinction of Indy 500 Rookie of the Year this past May, has by no means been sitting still in the weeks between races on the IRL’s 10-race schedule for 1999.
“Between our Energizer promotional schedule and running my computer business -- and the racing schedule, of course – we’re in perpetual motion,” said McGehee, who with two races left this year (Sept. 26 at Las Vegas and Oct. 17 at Texas) is very much in the running for series Rookie of the Year honors. “When I’m in the race car, my responsibility is simple – go fast and finish well. But once I step out of the car, we’re doing everything we can to keep Energizer in the spotlight, and sell batteries!”
Since he stepped up to IRL competition with Energizer Motorsports at Indy this past May, where he finished fifth, McGehee has been the focal point of the program’s aggressive promotional campaign. But a new one has emerged, as well. The first-year team recently unveiled the Energizer Motorsports show car – a full-size replica of the black #55 Energizer Advanced Formula Dallara/Aurora/Firestone entry, complete with graphics featuring the familiar pink Energizer Bunny, that McGehee pilots at IRL events.
McGehee helped unveil the Energizer show car in his – and Energizer’s – hometown over Labor Day Weekend at the St. Louis County Fair & Air Show. In addition to signing autographs for the tens of thousands of fair patrons, McGehee himself got a rare treat by flying along with one of the five high-performance prop planes of the famed Northern Lights Aerobatic Team.
Next weekend (Sept. 17-18), McGehee and the show car are back at it by taking part in the 27th annual Great Forest Park Balloon Race, another major St. Louis area event and one that features the mammoth Energizer Bunny “Hot Hare” balloon. “This is what it’s all about – getting out into the community, interacting with the fans, and promoting your No. 1 sponsor,” said McGehee. “I’ve been racing for quite some time, but once you rise to the level of the Pep Boys Indy Racing League, the extracurricular activity rises to an all-new level, as well. You’ve got to take care of the sponsors and the fans who make it possible for you to be here to begin with. I enjoy it.”
Even prior to the Energizer show car’s arrival, McGehee has been pounding the pavement. He is a national spokesperson for the Think First Foundation, which involves lectures to school gatherings about head and spinal injury prevention. He also has been tapped by Firestone for personal appearances. In early August, he helped the tire company entertain state legislators from throughout the United States at Opryland, near Firestone headquarters in Nashville. A few weeks later, McGehee spoke to a dozen different groups of Firestone dealers at Gateway International Raceway outside St. Louis about how the company’s tire technology works on the racetrack.
“Being able to race cars for a living has been a blessing,” McGehee said, “and getting out there to promote the sport, and to promote the sponsors who make it happen, is the least we can do to hold up our end of the bargain.”
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article CHAMPCAR/CART: Team Rahal Laguna Seca Preview
Next article CHAMPCAR/CART: Tony Kanaan Friday Laguna Seca Notes
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
Latest news
Max Verstappen slams “unacceptable” bumps at Austin F1 track: “It's out of control”
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
16 min
Max Verstappen slams “unacceptable” bumps at Austin F1 track: “It's out of control”
Kimi Antonelli ready to "finish the job" as first F1 title chance beckons at US GP
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
1 h
Kimi Antonelli ready to "finish the job" as first F1 title chance beckons at US GP
How to watch NASCAR at Talladega II: Weekend schedule, start time, entry list, TV
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
1 h
How to watch NASCAR at Talladega II: Weekend schedule, start time, entry list, TV
Peterson Racing addresses online abuse after parting ways with Austin Green
NASCAR O'Reilly
NOAP NASCAR O'Reilly
Talladega II
1 h
Peterson Racing addresses online abuse after parting ways with Austin Green
Feature
Discover prime content
Inside AJ Foyt Racing’s transition: Hauger’s arrival, Ferrucci’s future, and the Pierson waiting game
Feature
IndyCar
Feature
IndyCar
By Joey Barnes
Inside AJ Foyt Racing’s transition: Hauger’s arrival, Ferrucci’s future, and the Pierson waiting game
You Ask The Questions: David Malukas
IndyCar
By Joey Barnes
You Ask The Questions: David Malukas
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe