Fast company: Gillian Zucker, president of the California Speedway in Fontana, is supervising a major renovation and launching a new era of marketing.

AFTER five months at the helm of California Speedway in Fontana, Gillian Zucker has become a driving force of motor sports promotion in Southern California. The speedway is one of 13 facilities owned by Daytona-based International Speedway Corp. It's also the only major racetrack in the nation headed by a woman. Zucker, who had experience promoting minor-league baseball teams before joining International Speedway seven years ago, is charged with increasing attendance at the track. To do that, she's forging relationships with Hollywood and is working on a $10 million renovation of the eight-year-old facility. By Labor Day, the midway will double in size to 24 acres and include a Wolfgang Puck cafe and a concert stage.

Question: So what are you doing in a sport like NASCAR?

Answer: The career counselors in college said I should be a sports journalist, so I shadowed a reporter who was covering a minor league hockey game. When we went, I spent the whole time watching the public relations person running a message board, handing out press notes and doing promotions. I thought, "That's the job I want."

Q: What came next?

A: I came to Southern California in 1993 to work for a minor-league baseball team called the High Desert Mavericks. I was the director of concessions. I'd get up early in the morning and the Pepsi guy would show up and say, "Where are the guys to empty the truck?" I'd say, "It's me." I also carried 50-pound bags of popcorn.

Q: That's a long way from NASCAR.

A: I was contacted by a recruiter for International Speedway Corp. in 1998, while I was working for the Durham Bulls. At that point, ISC owned 3 1/2 racetracks and was looking to grow. They sent me to Kansas City to help launch the Kansas Speedway.

Q: What did you think about stock car racing?

A: I had a preconceived notion of the sport as unsophisticated people watching cars going around in circles. I went to a race to make sure it was something I was passionate about. It took me about three seconds to realize this was exactly where I wanted to be. NASCAR is a wow, and there are so few wows left in the world.

Q: So what's the wow factor?

A: Some of it is the pageantry. All the teams lined up and the patriotism and the jet flyovers. Then people bring their motor homes and set up neighborhoods at the tracks and on the infields. Some of them bring swimming pools. Add to that all the displays that the sponsors bring, which can be pretty dazzling, and there's nothing that can match it.

Q: So has that made you a fan?

A: I've become a huge fan to the point where I understand why people are drawn to the sport. I'm invested in the drivers and their stories. It's almost like a reality show each week; the scripts couldn't be written this well. When Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Pepsi 400, which was the first race at Daytona after his father died, it was very dramatic for all of us.

Q: What about the stereotype about spectators just coming for the crashes?

A: I definitely think people go to watch crashes. There's something about seeing a spectacular wreck and seeing the driver walk away that is exciting for fans. When they don't walk away, there's nothing worse. Thankfully, that's rare and becoming more so as safety features are improved.

Q: How important are the corporate tie-ins?

A: When you're looking at the sport, there are five major revenue streams: tickets, broadcast rights, food and beverage, merchandise and licensing, and sponsorships. Sponsorships are a significant part of our revenue and we're always looking to make that grow.

Q: Who are the current sponsors?

A: Home Depot is the official home improvement store at the speedway. They always have displays and promotions at events, and they bring a lot of their clients and employees to the races. We also have ongoing relationships with national accounts like UPS, Office Depot, Gatorade and Pepsi, and regional partners like the Auto Club of Southern California and Stater Bros.

Q: How do you plan to add to them?

A: Our sponsorships have evolved from companies that are deeply rooted in automotive to include companies that aren't necessarily tied to the auto business. For the track this year we added three entitlement sponsors, which means they get races named after them. Sony will have the Sony HD 500, Ameriquest will have the Ameriquest 300 and San Bernardino County will have the Relocate Here 200. Each of these races will take place over Labor Day weekend.

Q: How has television helped the sport?

A: Fox broadcasts NASCAR for the first half of the season, NBC has the second half and they alternate the Daytona 500. Before this relationship started in 2001, each track controlled its own broadcast rights. What NASCAR did in 2001 was consolidate all the rights in one relationship. That resulted in a lot more broadcast promotion and a clear place for fans to turn to when they want to watch a NASCAR race. It's been crucial for the growth of the sport's fan base. That contract expires at the end of 2006. A new contract is being negotiated now.

Q: But what about NASCAR's reputation as a good or boy, Southern sport?

A: The stereotype that I came to NASCAR with--that it's a redneck sport and that it's a bunch of people throwing chicken bones at each other--is just not true. Our fans actually include Fortune 500 presidents.

Q: How are you getting your message out?

A: Everyone on our staff is attending more events and telling the story. If we have to grab them person by person and explain to them that they're missing something huge, then we're prepared to do that. It's difficult to create buzz through advertising in Southern California. Maybe if we had unlimited resources there would be a way to do it. But if you look at the number of radio stations in this area compared to smaller markets, it's a different challenge.

Q: You recently opened an office in Century City. Is that part of the effort?

A: This is one of the steps to make sure we are part of Los Angeles. We have a lot of sponsorship and ticket sales business there and we're also looking to forge more connections with the entertainment industry. The race in Michigan this past year was actually called the Batman Begins 400. They launched their movie with an association with NASCAR. We'll be doing the same kind of thing here, through music, movies and television.

Q: Can you provide more details?

A: On the music side, this past year Daytona International Speedway launched Three Doors Down's album and tour at a race. We want to do something very similar. We've already started on the TV side. In September, we partnered with NBC to help promote their fall lineup. We shot two episodes of Amy Grant's NBC show "Three Wishes" (at the track.) Amy Grant was also the grand marshal for the Ameriquest 300 race.

Q: Where does the speedway draw from anyway?

A: We obviously have a large draw from the Inland Empire, but the same numbers of people come from L.A. The average stay at the track is nine hours. That's a lot longer than I saw at a Kings game a few weeks ago. We also draw from San Diego and there's people coming from other states who spend a few days here when they come for NASCAR events.

Q: So what renovations are you doing?

A: We're creating a town center that people can wander through in the first half of the day. It will be a combination of the state fair, the Olympics and the NFL. The centerpiece will be the Wolfgang Puck restaurant, which will be separated from a concert stage by a large lawn. We'll get name acts, local acts and some cover bands. Around that area will be a redesign of the sponsor displays, which will be mixed with team merchandise, other food options, and seating area with shade and water features. We'll also have big video screens for people to watch what's going on at the track while they're at the cafe.

Gillian Zucker

Title: President, California Speedway

Organization: International Speedway Corp.

Born: Satellite Beach, Fla., 1969

Education: B.A. in creative writing from Hamilton College

Career Turning Point: 1998 phone call from an ISC headhunter 

Most Admired Person: Aside from family members, ISC President Lesa Kennedy

Personal: Single

Hobbies: Sudoku, sports, reading