In case you missed it, I posted a brief history about Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Friday, as well as part one of the Q&A session with Jesse Ghiorzi, Mid-Ohio's Public Relations Representative.
Now, it's time for the second half of that interview.
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Racing Fuel: How did Mid-Ohio accommodate the increased amount of people?
Jesse Ghiorzi: We staffed up dramatically and had big contributions from volunteer groups like Lake Erie Communications, Lexington Football Boosters, Lexington Elks Lodge, Nationwide Children's Hospital, and others.
Also in regards to the people management on site, we worked closely with NASCAR and the Morrow County Sheriff Department. Those groups, plus ODOT and our team, especially our Security Manager Cody Chalfant, put together a great egress plan to help keep cars flowing as much as possible after a large event.
RF: What was the biggest difference in preparing for NASCAR in comparison to IndyCar?
JG: Anytime you have a new event, especially one this size (our largest event), there is going to be a lot of planning. We've had IndyCar here (at Mid-Ohio) for nearly 30 years, so all parties involved (track, sanctioning body, drivers, teams, fans) are very familiar with the event. NASCAR is a new type of racing for the track, fans, and region. So there was a learning process for us that doesn't exist with our longtime events both internally and externally.
Additionally, Nationwide and Nationwide Children's Hospital were new partners to work with and learn from.
The fundraising element of the NCH 200 added another wrinkle.
In short, all these new elements led to some extra foundation building for year one that we can use as a basis moving forward.
RF: Will this race remain a standalone event for NASCAR Nationwide Series, or is the hope that NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will race at Mid-Ohio, also?
JG: We had a great first event, but there are some ways we can improve. For the foreseeable future, we'll continue working with NASCAR and Nationwide on hosting a huge standalone event.
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A huge "thank you" goes out to Jesse for taking the time to answer Racing Fuel's questions!
What questions would you have asked Jesse about the NCH 200?
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