Hy-Vee Senior Vice President of Communications Tina Potthoff Discusses the Entertainment Lineup for the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway
PIT PASS INDY PRESENTED BY HY-VEE – SEASON 4, EPISODE 7 – Hy-Vee Senior Vice President of Communications Tina Potthoff Discusses the Entertainment Lineup for the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway
February 13, 2024
Pit Pass Indy Show host Bruce Martin has an exclusive interview with Hy-Vee Senior Vice President of Communications Tina Potthoff.
Our friends from Hy-Vee are back, serving as a presenting sponsor of Pit Pass Indy this month, gearing up to one of the highlights of the season, the Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway July 12-14.
This year’s schedule includes a night race at Iowa Speedway on Saturday, July 13 with another full race scheduled for Sunday, July 14.
Four of the biggest names in entertainment will perform before and after each race including Luke Combs, Eric Church, Kelsea Ballerini and Post Malone.
For more INDYCAR coverage, follow Bruce Martin at Twitter at @BruceMartin_500
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Speakers: Bruce Martin & Tina Potthoff
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Bruce Martin:
IndyCar fans, it's time to start your engines. Welcome to Pit Pass Indy, a production of Evergreen Podcasts. I'm your host, Bruce Martin, a journalist who regularly covers the NTT IndyCar Series.
Our goal at Pit Pass Indy is to give racing fans an insider's view of the exciting world of the NTT IndyCar Series in a fast-paced podcast featuring interviews with the biggest names in the sport.
I bring nearly 40 years of experience covering IndyCar and NASCAR, working for such media brands as nbcsports.com, si.com, ESPN Sports Ticker, Sports Illustrated, Autoweek, and Speed Sport.
So, let's drop the green flag on this episode of Pit Pass Indy.
Welcome to this week's edition of Pit Pass Indy presented by Hy-Vee, as we continue our fourth season of giving IndyCar fans a behind the scenes look at the NTT IndyCar Series and the drivers that compete in the Indianapolis 500.
Our friends from Hy-Vee are back serving as a presenting sponsor of Pit Pass Indy this month. Beginning in March, our friends from Penske Truck Rental return for most of 2024.
Penske Truck Rental and Hy-Vee will share the show in April and June of 2024, gearing up to one of the highlights of the season, the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway July 12th through the 14th.
This year's schedule includes a night race at Iowa Speedway on Saturday, July 13th, with another full race scheduled for Sunday, July 14th.
Four of the biggest names in entertainment will perform before and after each race, including Luke Combs, Eric Church, Kelsea Ballerini, and Post Malone.
Combs will perform on the Hy-Vee stage on Saturday, July 13th, before the first NTT IndyCar Series race of the unique Doubleheader Weekend for 90 minutes. After the Saturday race, Eric Church takes over on the Hy-Vee stage for another 90-minute concert.
Another country music star, Kelsea Ballerini will perform a one-hour concert following the race on Sunday, July 14th.
Post Malone will bring the house down when he rocks the stage after Ballerini's performance for another 90-minute concert to wrap up the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway. It will be the first time that Post Malone has ever performed in central Iowa.
The start of the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series season is the March 10th Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, and teams are using the next month to prepare for the start of the season.
I'll be taking a hard left and head to Daytona Beach, Florida for the biggest race of the NASCAR Cup Series season, the 66 Daytona 500 on February 18th.
It's one of the biggest races of the season in all of motorsports, gathering some of the most influential people in the sport, including many top IndyCar executives, team owners, sponsors, and promoters.
Pit Pass Indy will continue to keep you covered with the best interviews in IndyCar as we gear up for the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series season.
Our guest on today's show is Hy-Vee senior vice president of communications, Tina Potthoff, one of the key people that brings the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway to life.
She revealed the big news on February 8th when Eric Church and Kelsea Ballerini were added to the entertainment lineup for this year's race at Iowa.
Here's my exclusive interview with Tina Potthoff for Pit Pass Indy presented by Hy-Vee.
Returning to the show now, is Hy-Vee senior vice president of communications, Tina Potthoff.
Hy-Vee on February 9th made some exciting news regarding the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa. You completed the final two acts that will be part of the big four act entertainment package. It'll be part of the weekend. If you could tell our listeners who the final two entertainers will be.
Tina Potthoff:
Yeah, absolutely. We're really excited. Earlier this week we had the chance to announce that we're going to be bringing in Eric Church in addition to Kelsea Ballerini, who will be performing in Iowa at the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend.
They join Luke Combs as well as Post Malone, which we already announced little bit earlier this year. So, we're pretty excited about the lineup that we've got coming up.
Bruce Martin:
So, what was it about these two entertainers that made you believe that this was a perfect fit for that week, and especially with the other two entertainers that you had previously announced?
Tina Potthoff:
Yeah, yeah. I will tell you what, we were wondering if one was going to attract more attention than the other, and they both attracted a lot of attention.
Especially Kelsea Ballerini, she was just at the Grammys. She had a Grammy nomination. Didn't get the Grammy, but certainly had the Grammy nomination and is on a lot of merchandise these days. So, we felt like she'd be a really good fit.
And then also Eric Church, he's a seven-time ACM award winner. He's won a lot of the country music awards as well, and he's got a big following too.
So, we wanted to bring in eclectic crowd and it also an eclectic group of musicians into the Iowa Speedway this year. And I think this is going to do it.
Bruce Martin:
It always seems like when you do the entertainment for the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa, you like to keep a mix, a little bit of country, a little bit of pop. How important is that to be able to attract a diverse group of fans?
Tina Potthoff:
It's really important to us. We have not always focused on one or the other. We have made it a mixture of both the last two years that we've been doing this.
Then also with this being our third year coming up this year. So, we feel like we want to make it family friendly, first of all. And then second of all, you want to be able to attract people that are from all genres and generations. We think this does the trick.
Bruce Martin:
Kelsea Ballerini also has involvement in the product line. Many of the products that are sold in the beauty care, hair care department of grocery stores.
Is Pantene involved in any way on this, or do you like to get support from some of the other sponsors that are part of her group?
Tina Potthoff:
I don't have anyone from Pantene just yet. But yeah, you're right. She is kind of their face that definitely making waves on some of our shelves even as we carry that product as well.
But yeah, she's a big spokes model for a lot of different brands that are out there and including a major influencer with the younger generation. So, as of right now, though no Pantene signs that I know of.
Bruce Martin:
And as far as Eric Church, another multi award-winning entertainer, if you could speak to the crowd that he attracts.
Tina Potthoff:
Yeah definitely, definitely a large country crowd. We have been very happy with the response that we got in the first few days of this announcement with people just really being pleased that he's coming to Iowa.
And he's had a lot of Grammy nominations as well, and he's got some really big songs that are out there right now. We've got, oh my gosh, Heart On Fire. He's been doing Doing Life With Me. I mean, these are some pretty big albums and songs that are taking place.
So, we feel like we're hitting these artists at a great time when they're in their music career too.
Bruce Martin:
Looking over the accomplishments of these two, it's very impressive. It's almost like when you look over the accomplishments of the drivers that'll be on the track because the main show both days will be two complete IndyCar Series races.
And how important is that to keep that message out there, that you're going to get a big name act before a race, the headline is going to be the actual IndyCar race, and then you're going to get a real showstopper at the end with another concert.
How important is it to keep the race as part of that mix so that you let everybody know, “Yeah, we're having entertainment here, but the main storyline is going to be the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa, the two races at Iowa Speedway.”
Tina Potthoff:
Right. That is the main event and we want to make sure that we're attracting not only race fans, but people that may have never been introduced to the sport as well.
So, we've got this race that's what brought everybody together, and we're just figuring out how to make it bigger and better and build out the entertainment that goes along with it.
The thing that we're probably most excited about this year is that we are going to have a nighttime race. So, it's going to be a quick transition right from Saturday to Sunday for sure, for many of us.
But that is probably the thing that I'm most excited about. It's been asked about by a lot of fans, and we're finally able to do it this year.
Bruce Martin:
Looking over the accomplishments of both of these entertainers, it is quite impressive. As you said, Kelsea Ballerini, Grammy nomination, she's Best New Artist in 2015, number one with three consecutive singles from her debut album. ACM, CMA awards, Grammy nominations.
In a lot of ways, that almost sounds like a tremendous body of work that she's been able to accomplish. And do you think that to a lot of people who know her work, here's a chance for them to come out and really get up close and personal to see her perform?
Tina Potthoff:
Yeah, they're definitely going to have that opportunity that maybe you wouldn't have in another concert venue. Especially when we're selling the concert passes where you can get up really close to some of these musical artists. That's an opportunity that most people don't have.
And sometimes I'll be honest, when you go into a stadium and you're trying to get that close to the artist, those seats, they're going for 5, $600, if not more.
But if you look at like the Post Malone fans, or the Luke Comb fans, they really have an opportunity to get up close and personal with a lot of these people where maybe in a larger concert venue, you might be pretty far back.
So, the great part is you've got a lot of options when you come to the race and it comes to seating. And if you want to get up closer, if you are indeed a music fan and that's what you're there for, then you can move up closer for just a little bit more money.
But we're pretty happy with the way that this all came out. We always are anxious to announce these and get everybody on the calendar and get everyone announced.
And now, that we've got these four up and running, we're looking forward to what else we have planned for some of the side stages too.
Because now, we've got more musical artists on the side stages. They're like, “Yeah, I'll be there for sure, because I know who's going to be on the main stage.” So, I think they definitely provide some motivation to get additional acts there.
Bruce Martin:
Eric Church is a seven-time ACM award winner and a four-time CMA award winner, multiple award nominations, and he's had 10 Grammy nominations. Again, those are pretty impressive numbers. So, the type of audience that he attracts, how would you describe that?
Tina Potthoff:
I think that he is got a great loyal following, as of Kelsea Ballerini, and Post Malone, and Luke Combs. And so, that's what we were looking at.
I don't have any specific numbers about how many of his followers are actually race car fans, but our goal has always been bring in some of that crowd that likes the musicians that we're bringing in and turn them into race car fans.
And so, it'll be interesting to see. We always get a great response from the past two years, the entertainment we've brought in, and we expect no less this year.
Bruce Martin:
Well, that always is the key that needs to be focused on is Hy-Vee is helping to promote IndyCar, and IndyCar is helping to promote Hy-Vee, and both are helping to promote the state of Iowa.
And as this relationship continues and moves forward, how successful do you think that relationship has been?
Tina Potthoff:
We've had a great relationship with everyone over at IndyCar. They've been fantastic to work with. And they're a lot of fun and they have a lot of the same characteristics that we do when it comes to just having exceptional experience for the consumer.
So, there's been a lot of synergies that have worked there. We're looking forward to kind of what the future brings.
And I think the biggest thing is we've got a pretty big race to plan this year. We'll focus on this right now, and then look forward to what the future brings in.
Bruce Martin:
A lot of ways, do you believe that Hy-Vee has been a bit of a trendsetter in the way to promote a race?
Because this past week, in addition to the announcement of the final two acts for the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa, NASCAR made their announcement of the four entertainers that they're going to have at the Chicago Street race.
Earlier in July, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced a lot of some of their entertainment acts that'll be part of the Indianapolis 500.
It wasn't any long ago that a lot of these events didn't have musical entertainment. Now, it's a key part of the promotion of the event. Do you feel in a lot of ways that Hy-Vee's been a trendsetter in that regard?
Tina Potthoff:
Yeah, I definitely want to hope that that's been the case to kind of take the bar and raise it even higher. The fans deserve that. And that's what our intention was all along. It was to really kind of take racing, introduce it as a sport to those who weren't familiar with it and go from there.
But I read some of those articles too, and you kind of say, “Gosh, a couple years ago that really wasn't the case.” And so, you like to think that you have an influence over that of what we've been able to bring and show can work.
Bruce Martin:
Prior to that, you might go to the Daytona 500, and they always get a big name to perform before the race, but it might be 20 minutes. You've been able to make it full concerts. And how important is that?
Tina Potthoff:
Definitely important especially with bringing these artists to Iowa, you don't want to give the fan a 20-minute show, we want to give them the full show. So, three out of the four artists are actually doing 90-minute shows, but that's pretty close to an hour and a half.
So, we're really pleased with being able to bring the full show out or a near full show that you would see on a concert stage that you would actually be buying a ticket for.
So, I think that's an important thing too, as people are looking at whether or not they want to come to this event to know that, okay, when I go to this, I'm also getting two concerts that I might have to pay a 100, $200 for the ticket for. Plus, I'm also getting the race for that too, so it is a good deal.
Bruce Martin:
So, what has the feedback been so far now that all four entertainers have been announced?
Tina Potthoff:
We're definitely seeing an increase in ticket sales, that's for sure. So, every time we make these announcements with the artists, we start to see the ticket on Ticketmaster go up.
And it's interesting because I was talking to some people about this yesterday. We aren't someone like the Iowa State Fair that says, “Hey, here's who's coming, and here's when tickets go on sale.” Instead, it's like, “Hey, here's who's coming. And tickets are on sale right now.”
So, you certainly don't see an immediate spike, but we do see spikes occur roughly, I would say 48 hours after the concert announcement has been made. I know Post Malone brought in a lot of people. I know Luke Combs brought in a lot of people.
So, you can see those spikes and the trends, and we're looking forward to seeing what happens over the next few days with the announcement of Kelsea Ballerini and our other contacts that we've got lined up.
Bruce Martin:
And for those who want to buy tickets who may not have gone to Iowa Speedway before, what's the best way for them to do it?
Tina Potthoff:
Sure, yeah, we're telling people if you want weekend tickets or passes, you can just purchase those online. You just need to go to hyveeindycarweekend.com. And we are encouraging people to get their tickets sooner rather than later. Especially if you're interested in one of those concert pit passes.
Bruce Martin:
We will be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break.
Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy presented by Hy-Vee. Here's the rest of my interview with Hy-Vee senior vice president of communications, Tina Potthoff for a Pit Pass Indy.
Now, the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa is going to be more than the concerts. It's going to be actually even more than the race. You do a lot of stuff in the Midway area, the area behind the grandstand. You have a lot of Hy-Vee people with connections that show up, do autograph signings.
Last year, you had Iowa basketball star, Caitlin Clark signing autographs, and she had a huge line. One of your big teams that you helped promote, the Kansas City Chiefs were in the Super Bowl.
Could we possibly envision maybe seeing some of them show up at some point, doing some Hy-Vee promotions during the race weekend? Or also can we expect to maybe see Caitlin Clark return? I know it's early, but are those thoughts that you're looking at?
Tina Potthoff:
Absolutely, absolutely. And well, I can't guarantee anything right now. We hope to have some additional announcements coming out in the upcoming weeks.
But yeah, Caitlin Clark is one, obviously the Kansas City Chiefs. You look at like Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes, who we already have relationships with and sponsorships and endorsement deals with.
So, those are three, and there's others too that we've put out asks for. We'll have more details as the week come up ahead.
But the biggest thing I think that we just found out about here recently and we haven't yet announced like who the sponsors of the races are. The last year was Instacart. We've had other people in the past that have helped us sponsor this.
But I can say our purpose focus is still going to be driven on military members and their families as well as Feeding America and food insecurity. So, those are two main missions that we kind of wove into the races last year, and we're going to do that again this year. So, we're looking forward to that too.
Bruce Martin:
During these concerts and during the race weekend, you're very, very busy. But if you had a chance to notice that while these concerts are going on, a lot of the times, especially if they're before and sometimes even after a race, you see a lot of IndyCar crew members and even drivers out in the crowd watching these concerts.
How cool is that to see that, to see that type of synergy between the two?
Tina Potthoff:
I absolutely love it. I love it when I see people from the crews that are out there and they're excited just as much as the fans are. And that's such a great thing to see.
And sometimes when you talk to the drivers, they say, “Oh yeah, I'm excited about racing, but I'm really excited to watch this concert afterwards or be able to see if I can get a glimpse of them behind the scenes.”
So, that's exciting to us. It's important to us. And yeah, it's fun when we're able to interact so closely with one another.
Bruce Martin:
The IndyCar season is about to begin with the March 10th Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Hy-Vee isn't just involved with IndyCar during the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa. They're involved for the entire season.
And what are some of the things we can expect to start seeing in some of the stores as far as IndyCar promotion throughout the year?
Tina Potthoff:
Yeah. Well, certainly our driver Christian with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, you'll start to see some additional promotional items come out from him. And we'll be using him on social media. We got a great partnership with him. He's fun to work with, a great driver.
The other thing that you'll start to see is last year we did a Corvette giveaway. So, be on the lookout for that. No purchase necessary. You just have to go to our website. So, that link will be up shortly. And this year we plan to do Corvette giveaways throughout the season like we did last year.
And one of those Corvette giveaways will take place at the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend. And the best part about that, like I said, it's free to enter. So, that's the greatest part, is you too can be a race car driver in your own Corvette. So, that promotion will be launching here soon.
And then we'll also have some additional deals that will tie in to the races as the season continues. It's pretty much our big spring summertime promotion as we kick off going into March.
Bruce Martin:
And as you mentioned, the Hy-Vee driver of course, is Christian Lundgaard of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, considered to be one of the young great up and coming stars of the series. How cool is it to get involved a young driver like that who has a lot of opportunity to win races ahead of him?
Tina Potthoff:
He’s been great to work with, and he's also been pretty open. Sometimes when we come up with crazy ideas, especially if we're going to put him on social media doing something or on a commercial, he is very open to it.
And he's been fun to work with. He's been great to work with. And sometimes he comes up even with his own ideas and says, “Hey, how about we try this?”
We have been really, really happy with everything that he's been able to do for us, and we will certainly be cheering him on in the 45 car again this season. So, we're looking forward to that first race just as much as everybody else is.
Bruce Martin:
Speaking of social media, last year, you struck social media gold when one of Rahal Letterman Lanigan's team owners, David Letterman showed up at a Hy-Vee store to sack groceries, and the reaction to that was pretty cool.
What was it like to bring all that together and how willing was he to be part of that social promotion?
Tina Potthoff:
What's interesting is it just kind of naturally came together. David Letterman just naturally a funny guy, and I was there for the entire shoot. The biggest thing is he just wanted to kind of come into our stores and walk around and see it.
And so, we had a camera on him while he was walking around, and he just naturally, is that funny. And it got a lot of pickup him being in the store. We grabbed a couple of employees and said, “Hey, just kind of show him around.” And it really happened quite naturally.
I'll be honest, we really didn't know what to expect when we put him on the speaker when he was going to make us some announcements in our grocery store.
But it turned out to be a funny bit that we were able to throw on social media. And it did get a lot of pickup. You're right. Much more than we anticipated.
But hopefully, he's willing to do it again. I'm not sure, we'll see. We welcome him back with open arms. Yeah, he's a fan favorite at Hy-Vee, though.
Bruce Martin:
But I imagine during this time of the year is when there's a lot of brainstorming that goes on at the Hy-Vee offices, not only to promote the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa, but also a lot of the other promotions at Hy-Vee is involved in.
So, what's it like this time of the year when all these ideas are getting tossed around?
Tina Potthoff:
Yeah, we just had one of these meetings yesterday at our office where we were sitting with those at IndyCar saying, “Okay, what can we do to make this race gain even more traction than it already has?”
And so, the brainstorming part is always the funnest part. You can throw a lot of ideas out there, some stick, some don't.
But yeah, we're already in that process and you kind of say, “Okay, what do we do differently this year? What can we do to hype this up in a more unique way?”
One of the things I know that we'll have back this year is the super cart as we like to call it, which is it's a cart that is, oh my gosh, about 10 feet tall that drives down the interstate.
Last year, we put our driver in there and we delivered food and snacks to a local food bank. And we did just some different promotions in town, had the drivers go to a local kind of go-karting area to race around the track with different kids and city leaders and each other. And so, that was a lot of fun.
So, I know this year we're brainstorming possibly an e-gaming concept where we might have people racing on the track, possibly against the drivers if they're in town with a chance to win some decent prizes. So, it is fun to brainstorm though.
Bruce Martin:
In addition to Christian Lundgaard as the primary driver on the No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, you also have involvement with the entire team, including Graham Rahal and newcomer to the team, Pietro Fittipaldi.
How important is it to be able to be not only on one car, but part of the entire effort?
Tina Potthoff:
It's been great. That way it gives us more people to root for, to be honest. Because we're rooting for the entire Rahal Letterman Lanigan team and obviously Christian's very, very important. He is driving the car that has our brand on it, so we watch that.
But it's also great to see the rest of the team and how they're doing. We want to make sure that we're lifting all of them up.
Bruce Martin:
And do you have any more plans for expansion in any other IndyCar markets? I know that a store's coming close to being finished in Zionsville, Indiana, which is near Indianapolis. You're also involved in some other IndyCar markets. If you could explain some of those projects.
Tina Potthoff:
Yeah, sure. So, we do have a property in Zionsville and also Fishers, Indiana. We've made some announcements about Nashville and then also Kentucky. We know these places are also great places to race as well too.
So, we haven't yet broke ground in Indiana. We're hopeful to do that here soon. And so, we'll see what's become, but we haven't seen if there's some synergies between like the race and then also going out to the Indy 500 is there something that maybe we want to announce when it comes to our stores too, and where we are with some of the construction plans?
So, more to come on that. But yeah, there's certainly some strategy behind that.
Bruce Martin:
And what's the reaction been amongst the IndyCar community and the IndyCar drivers about this year's entertainment lineup?
Tina Potthoff:
What have we heard so far? We've heard lots of great things. We've heard that there are a lot of drivers that like Post Malone, we heard that there are a lot of drivers that are looking forward to seeing Kelsea Ballerini.
So, those have been fun to hear and also to see some of the messages that people are sharing, our announcements on Twitter and Facebook.
So, yeah, like I said, I think we're going to see them come back out again. You'll see some drivers come back out for these artists and actually watch the show too.
It will be interesting though, I mean, we've got some of these acts are performing after the race, and with that nighttime race, we know it's going to be a late night. So, I'll be curious to see how late some people are willing to stay up with the concert going on.
But yeah, like I said, the full concert after that Saturday race and we're hopeful it's not too late of a night, but it should be a lot of fun under the lights.
Bruce Martin:
The other thing that impresses me about Hy-Vee is you're not only involved in sports promotion, but the names that you're involved with, it's either go home or go big.
I mean, there's no bigger name in women's college basketball than Caitlin Clark right now. She sells out arenas. Every time Iowa plays on the road, it's like an attendance record every time she shows up.
Of course, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs going to the Super Bowl, and the spotlight is always on them.
So, what's it like to know that not only that you're involved in sports, but you're involved in sports in the biggest way?
Tina Potthoff:
Yeah, and we've got involved with some of these people their first year. And so, we saw Caitlin and we believed in Caitlin. She was our first NIL deal when it came to college athletes. We were a part of Patrick Mahomes when he was just starting out.
And so, these relationships have gone since they've been a part of their success, we've kind of walked alongside them through the entire process and seen them grow bigger and bigger and bigger each year.
But some of it just comes down to we know that they have skill, we know that they have talent, and on our end it comes down to a little bit of luck. I mean, we say, “Gosh, we want to kind of put our name behind this person. We think that they've got great things to come.”
And we've been very lucky in that regard that we have been able to sponsor Patrick Mahomes since he's been starting as the main quarterback. And we've been able to be a part of Caitlin Clark's career because we were one of the first ones that were there and we're really happy and just really blessed to be a part of what they're doing.
Especially Caitlin Clark. I mean, you see some of the things that she's doing right now, we're following her as she's getting ready to break the woman's all-time record when it comes to point scored. And so, we're closely watching that.
It makes it exciting for us too, as Hy-Vee employees because we're rooting for them just as much as they're rooting for us.
Bruce Martin:
And wrapping up here with Tina Potthoff, senior vice president communications at Hy-Vee, what's the reaction like in stores among the customers every time Hy-Vee makes a big announcement such as you made this week?
Tina Potthoff:
Yeah, yeah. I think like you said, it's kind of go big or go home. But people have been excited. They know when we say we've got an announcement coming out, that it's usually going to be something good.
So, the goal is to not to disappoint. And hopefully, we've made good on our mission to make sure that we're creating a lot of excitement.
It's also been meant to bring a lot of economic awareness to the state of Iowa. This is our home at Hy-Vee. We want to make sure that people know not only that we're here, but that the state of Iowa has some really great things that are going on.
With NASCAR announcing some of its races, and now, you've got IndyCar with this race, we expect more big things to come here in the state. So, that's exactly what we wanted. And it seems to be coming true.
Bruce Martin:
Hy-Vee slogan is always there's a helpful smile in every aisle. And that is certainly the case with Hy-Vee when it comes to the IndyCar series and the Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway.
Hy-Vee senior vice president communications, Tina Potthoff, good luck this year in 2024 with the big Race Weekend. And thank you for joining us today on Pit Pass Indy presented by Hy-Vee.
Tina Potthoff:
Thank you so much.
[Music Playing]
Bruce Martin:
And that puts a checkered flag on this edition of Pit Pass Indy.
We want to thank our guest, Hy-Vee senior vice president of communications, Tina Potthoff, for joining us on today's podcast.
Along with loyal listeners like you, our guests help make Pit Pass Indy presented by Hy-Vee, your path to victory lane in IndyCar.
And for all your shopping needs, be sure to visit your local Hy-Vee, where there's a helpful smile in every aisle.
For more IndyCar coverage, follow me at Twitter @BruceMartin (one-word, uppercase B, uppercase M) _500.
This has been a production of Evergreen Podcasts. A special thanks to our production team. Executive producers are Brigid Coyne and Gerardo Orlando. Recordings and edits were done by me, Bruce Martin and final mixing was done by Dave Douglas. Learn more at evergreenpodcasts.com.
Until next time, be sure to keep it out of the wall.
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