08-12-2005 | TruckSeries.com Report
Two Lowe's Motor Speedway executives, Jerry Gappens and Dan Farrell, have been promoted to senior vice president positions. The promotions were announced by H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, president and general manager of the motorsports facility. Gappens, 44, was promoted to senior vice president of events and Farrell, 37, was named senior vice president of corporate sales. "Jerry is racing's best public relations practitioner, and has all the elements to manage and promote the wide array of events we host at Lowe's Motor Speedway," said Wheeler. "In addition to his expanded role in event organization, Jerry will continue to be our key promotions guy. In 2002, Gappens was honored as the NASCAR industry's Most Valuable Public Relations Representative. Prior to joining the speedway, Gappens worked as an account executive with Sales Consultants, a national contingency search firm in Oakland, N.J. He also worked with National Speed Sport News, a leading weekly motorsports publication, for eight years and served as a pit reporter for ABC Sports and various radio networks' coverage of motorsports. Farrell is responsible for Lowe's Motor Speedway's corporate sponsor revenue inventory, including event sponsorships, corporate suites and hospitality, signage and block ticket sales. A native of Buffalo, N.Y., Farrell joined the speedway in May 1999 as director of sales for the Performance Racing Network. He was promoted to vice president of corporate sales in January 2003. Prior to joining the speedway, Farrell spent five years as an account executive for Capitol Sports Network in Raleigh where he sold advertising for Duke and North Carolina State University sports, the Carolina Panthers Radio Network and the Carolina Hurricanes Television Network. A graduate of Cortland State University, Farrell started his career with Custom Sports Promotions, selling on-air advertising for the NFL's Buffalo Bills, including two Super Bowl seasons, and the NHL's Buffalo Sabres.
"Dan has done a wonderful job in sales. In fact, I don't think anybody at any race track sells more than Dan and his staff," Wheeler added. "Dan and Jerry both bring great enthusiasm and passion to their jobs."
In addition to guiding the marketing and public relations efforts, Gappens will now oversee management of the speedway's events.
A Windfall, Ind., native, Gappens joined the speedway in January 1993 as publicity director. He was promoted to co-director of public relations in July 1995, director of communications in November 1995 and was named vice president of public relations in October 1996.