Chesson Gives the IRL a Marketing Edge
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Sunday, May 28, 2006
INDIANAPOLIS, May 27 -- The standard critique of Indy Racing League stars goes something like this: They're too drab, too rehearsed, too aloof to propel a sport that often depends on star power. Enter P.J. Chesson.
The 27-year-old rookie has more than a dozen tattoos. He's spent this week happily modeling his latest splotch of ink, an Indianapolis 500 logo. Before he was given his current ride, he spent several months working on a Florida fishing boat called the "Sissy Baby," where the benefits included "naked chicks on the beach all day." His racing team is co-owned by NBA star Carmelo Anthony. He blogs about his life on myspace.com, describing his favorite music as "Anything BAD ASS!!!" and "everything that gets me amped!!"
Chesson is happy to rehash some of his finer off-the-track moments: the time he launched out of a third-story window and broke both ankles, the time he jumped off a 120-foot cliff into water, the time he paddled by himself into a 20-foot surf.
Whether sponsors will stomach this routine -- which acquaintances insist is genuine -- remains to be seen, but Chesson already has endeared himself to media members and spectators.
"Everyone else is so damn vanilla," longtime open-wheel fan Mark Clark said after meeting Chesson this week. "It's kind of nice to see someone with an edge." In three starts this season, Chesson's under-funded team has yet to crack the top 10, but other drivers continually point to the rookie as an example of a marketable personality.
IRL Vice President of Marketing Mike Ringham acknowledged that Chesson will have to straddle a line between provocative and palatable, but sounded optimistic about that prospect.
"He understands that engaging fans and engaging sponsors and engaging media folks are what makes his car go faster, because that means he can draw more people into his camp and draw more investment." Ringham said. "He certainly is not afraid to say what he thinks, and that's something that we probably haven't had here since A.J. Foyt was on the track."
