When I was a kid, one of the most exciting days ever was new baseball glove day. There was so much anticipation during the drive to the sporting goods store with the emotions of a new season ahead and the hope that this would be that “forever” glove. I can still feel the pressure; pick the right color, the right brand, the right type. You see, when you get a new baseball glove, there’s a routine, some different than others, but a routine nonetheless. You have to “break it in” just right.
Reflecting on the past 5 years at NCM Motorsports Park “MSP”, I can’t help but compare it to breaking in a new baseball glove. The road course, skid pad, Kartplex, garages and other facilities have been effectively “broken in” with so much care and attention it would even impress my younger self. The entire MSP team will never relinquish our impossibly high hopes, becoming more confident each day in the development of MSP’s character and personality. That old cliche, “time flies when you’re having fun”, certainly applies to the first 5 years.
MSP’s beginnings were a lot like that tight and rigid new baseball glove, definitely not always comfortable. It was more like welcome to our dirt, plus a race track.
It was more like welcome to our dirt, plus a race track.
The first year and a half proved extremely challenging, but our team muscled through, determined to smooth out the rough edges. When we started, we didn’t have much more than a dedicated trailer for operations and a classroom, plus our trusty race control camper. Oh that race control camper…. no windows, no air conditioning and running water everywhere when it rained – good times! Despite those struggles, or perhaps because of them, everyone on the team has grown to meet challenges establishing MSP as one of the premier race track facilities in America for both educational and recreational purposes.
Growing pains are synonymous with any new business. Putting them way behind us now, MSP has a diverse and sustainable weekend event schedule, plus numerous home-grown programs. Every day I show up for work, I’m excited for the future of MSP, probably even more so than I ever was for that new baseball glove. I’m so proud to be part of a tremendous team we have built, all of us working hard each day to earn the respect and repeat business of our amazing customers, many of them I now consider lifelong friends.
I’m so proud to be part of a tremendous team we have built, all of us working hard each day to earn the respect and repeat business of our amazing customers, many of them I now consider lifelong friends.
The ability of these passionate people coming together has fueled the growth of the MSP, and it has truly been cathartic for me to experience. We’re also humbled and awestruck at the amount of support from sponsors, Corvette fans and the numerous track day organizations we’ve received over the past 5 years.
MSP has exciting announcements and plans in the works for 2020 and beyond! New events, strengthening partnerships and some serious new toys for everyone to play with (ahem, with the engine in a different place). We look forward to seeing many new guests here and infecting them with the “bug” we all love. We’ll keep tuning on MSP, and not unlike that forever glove, our brightest days have yet to come.
