When Brian Obiedzenski scored the victory in the Charger race last Sunday at Southern National Motorsports Park, he shared his moment in victory lane with his fans on Twitter.
Obiedzenski, 32, from Franklinton, North Carolina is one of the more active drivers on social media. He has developed a following of thousands on Twitter and Facebook, where he often discusses his own racing program as well as racing all throughout the region.
“Social media is fun for me,” Obiedzenski explained. “Some drivers dread it. I love interacting with my fans. You get to see the sport from the other side of the fence. You are able to speak with the families and groups that come to see you race. After all, the fans are the reason this sport continues. We have the best fans in the country. They know my stats, schedule and info better than I do.”
Obiedzenski feels engaging in social media is important, not just for him as a driver, but for the sport as a whole.
“Social media has become a huge part of the sport,” Obiedzenski continued. “I have met friends, and had media coverage due to my social media presence. I feel that is just another way that NASCAR is so transparent to the fans. They see our cars, they follow us and take part in social media trivia, games, giveaways. If you follow drivers like myself, Eric Winslow, Colin Garrett or Haley Moody, you get to see how organic and fun interacting with fans can be.”
While many drivers are involved in racing in some degree for a living, Obiedzenski, who goes by the nickname “Obie”, just does it for fun. He feels his engagement with fans on social media shows that side of him and thinks it’s a large part of why he is so popular with the fans.
“I feel the popularity I have with local fans has a lot to do with me not having a stand out story of how I got into the sport, or not having anything I have overcome,” Obiedzenski remarked. “I am your average Joe, working for a local car dealership in the service department. I have a wife, a daughter and a dog living in small town America. Folks are able to see that on social media. I enjoy being a hometown hero on the grassroots level and have zero aspirations of taking a shot a Camping World Trucks or ARCA.
“Folks can relate to that, and I think it’s why so many people get up out of their seat when I pass for the lead and why the 29 usually has a line at driver meet and greets. It drives me. I love it.”
Obiedzenski’s social media engagement comes in an era in American society when social media has overtaken traditional mass media as a primary source of information.
Brian Obiedzenski scored the victory in last Sunday’s Charger feature at Southern National Motorsports Park. He plans to run the complete Southern National schedule and race for the championship, with his next race being on Saturday, April 8th when the Chargers take part in the Southern Modified Racing Series event, which is headlined by a 125-lap Tour Modified race.
For more information about Southern National Motorsports Park, check out SNMP’s website at www.snmpark.com, “like” Southern National Motorsports Park on Facebook or “follow” @SNM_Park on Twitter.
