Racer ready to roll with Savage Energy
February 5, 2008
Mike Robertson resists calling this a make-or-break year for his racing son, Ryan.
He doesn't want to put that kind of pressure on the 21-year-old driver from Winston-Salem.
But the father knows their family-structured racing team has gone about as far as it can toward the dream of landing a big NASCAR ride for Ryan.
All they can do now is keep rolling up their sleeves, race for some impressive late model stock car wins, add in as much exposure as possible and hope someone comes calling.
"He's got the tools," Mike Robertson said. "Now he just needs that extra break."
One of those extra breaks in 2008 may come from Salisbury-based Carolina Beverage Corp., the makers of Cheerwine who also are trying to make a dent in the energy drink market with Savage Energy.
Savage Energy will sponsor Ryan Robertson in eight races this year in the United Auto Racing Association Series, which has been a stepping stone for some drivers in the past toward Busch and Nextel Cup rides.
The Robertsons brought their brand new Savage Energy No. 31 car to the Cheerwine warehouse in Salisbury last Friday to give company employees a close-up look.
They also showed off the new Savage Energy race uniform, just back from the embroiderer.
The Chevrolet Impala SS with a 450-plus horsepower engine and Greg Marlowe Racing chassis has a menacing look with its black and neon green colors, featuring a snarling cat on the hood, stripes in the wheel wells and the reminder in big letters that Savage Energy "Goes Wherever You Prowl."
Ryan Robertson says it's the nicest, best-looking car Robertson Racing has ever had, and he's itching to put the vehicle through its paces. But the initial testing is still two to three weeks away.
The car actually has yet to see a racetrack. So far, all it has seen is the Cheerwine warehouse, the Robertson racing shop in Winston-Salem and the Motorsports Expo in Raleigh.
But Ryan isn't complaining. At the expo, he and others gave out free Savage Energy drinks, posed for photos with the car and made themselves known. More photographs, postcards and promotions are scheduled, and Ryan will fit them around his job as a sales representative for Tucson cigarettes and some 35 to 40 races this year.
Tom Barbitta, head of marketing for Cheerwine, said Savage Energy's wide-mouth, resealable bottle is unique among energy drinks, and one of the promotions being considered is a "Bring Your (Bottle) Cap to the Track Night" for discounts on tickets or Savage Energy products.
"The tracks have been great to work with," Barbitta said.
The Savage Energy car will race in three events this year at Winston-Salem's Bowman Gray track, where it's not unusual for crowds of 15,000 people on Saturday nights.
The Savage Energy car's first UARA race will be April 26.
Barbitta and Mike Robertson said the family-owned beverage maker and three-generation racing team fit well with each other.
Mike Robertson and his 67-year-old grandfather, Gerald, still race a limited schedule and they have a lot of input, of course, in Ryan's career. Gerald Robertson raced for 30 years in the modified class at Bowman Gray Stadium.
Mike Robertson is a 36-time winner at Bowman Gray. The Robertsons have four cars altogether. Other major sponsors for Ryan Robertson's No. 29 car are Carolina Wood Floors and Winston-Salem State University.
Mike Robertson said drivers now have to have "the total package" to make it. Besides being good drivers, they have to speak well and be marketable, he said.
Three seasons ago, in hopes of giving Ryan an edge, the Robertsons hired a public relations firm, MediaFit Strategic Sports Marketing of Lewisville. It was MediaFit's Michelle Sawyer and Ginger Gallagher who connected the Robertsons to Savage Energy.
"They're professionals," Mike Robertson said. "They know what they're doing."
Mike and Ryan Robertson recognize that stock car racing has become a young man's sport. Ryan isn't exactly aging out, but things probably will have to come together soon for him to make it big.
Looking at the new Savage Energy car, Ryan Robertson said he never thought he'd have a car of its caliber. All he can do this year, he added, is have fun and drive the best he can.
Ryan won a race and pole last year, and in the past five years has three poles and three wins to his credit. He started 44 races in 2007, finishing in the top five 18 times and the top 10 on 31 occasions.
The UARA races, which feature a wide range of young and veteran drivers, start 36 cars and go for 150 laps at average speeds of about 120 mph at the bigger tracks.
The series actually has a 16-race schedule and its venues in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia closely match the distribution area for Savage Energy.
Ryan Robertson said he likes the product and already has drunk "cases and cases." He prefers the sugar-free variety.
"I'll be drinking a lot of them before I race, I'll tell you that," he said.
Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263 or mwineka@salisburypost.com.