NHRA's Angie Smith Roars Into Countdown On DENSO Spark Plugs

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NHRA’s Angie Smith Roars Into Countdown On DENSO Spark Plugs

DENSO sponsors the Pro Stock Motorcycle racer at upcoming Carolina Nationals.

Counterman Staff
By Counterman Staff
Published:

DENSO Products and Services Americas, Inc., an affiliate of leading global automotive supplier DENSO Corp., will serve as the lead sponsor of Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Angie Smith at the upcoming NHRA Carolina Nationals. The Sept. 15-17 races take place at Smith’s hometown racetrack, zMAX Dragway in Concord, N.C.

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The event is the first of the Countdown to the Championship, the six final race weekends of the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Only the top 10 competitors qualify for the Countdown, based on total points earned over 10 hard-fought Pro Stock Motorcycle contests leading up to the final races.

“I’m really excited that DENSO is sponsoring me for the first race of the Countdown,” said Smith, who rides a Buell V-Twin at speeds of nearly 198 mph powered by DENSO’s high-performance Iridium spark plugs. “It’s a huge accomplishment just to be one of the 10 riders competing for the championship. I’m focused on doing my best for DENSO and my team to put this DENSO bike in the Winner’s Circle!”

With the addition of the Carolina Nationals, DENSO is serving as Smith’s lead sponsor for a total of five weekend events in the 2017 Mello Yello series. Two have already taken place: the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals series opener held April 28-30 at zMAX Dragway and the Toyota Sonoma Nationals held July 28-30 in California. The remaining two are Countdown events: the Sept. 29-Oct. 1 AAA Insurance Midwest Nationals in Illinois and the Oct. 26-29 Toyota Nationals in Las Vegas.

Born and raised in Kernersville, N.C., Smith started racing competitively in the Outlaw Pro Street class where she was known by her maiden name, Angie McBride. In 2004, she captured the Outlaw Pro Street championship. During those years, a fierce rivalry ensued with competitor Matt Smith. A top-ranked Pro Stock Motorcycle racer with 18 career wins to date under his belt, he invited her to join Matt Smith Racing in 2008.

The couple married in 2009 and are the only husband-and-wife teammates in the NHRA. Both qualified for the upcoming Countdown and will complete against each other for the 2017 Pro Stock Motorcycle championship.

In addition to sponsoring Angie Smith, DENSO is a product sponsor of Matt Smith Racing. DENSO also served as the title sponsor of the March 31-April 2 NHRA Las Vegas Nationals and is a supporting sponsor of all 24 races in the 2017 Mello Yello series.

At every race, fans will find DENSO’s full line of spark plugs at Nitro Alley, the midway where they can learn more about and purchase DENSO plugs. Throughout the series, DENSO also posts race and product updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

For nearly half a century, DENSO has sponsored world-class motor sports, including NHRA, NASCAR, Formula One, World Rally Championship and Super GT races. In addition to spark plugs, alternators, radiators and engine management systems are among DENSO’s precision original equipment and replacement auto parts that professional drivers and pit crews count on for the best performance under the most demanding conditions and motorists rely on every day.

More information on DENSO spark plugs, as well as DENSO’s comprehensive lines of auto parts, is available at retail stores, wholesale distributors and www.densoautoparts.com.

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Auto Industry

Customer Service: How It’s Done

Customer service should be your number one priority, and it all starts with the greeting.

Eric Garbe
By Eric Garbe
Eric Garbe is a graduate of Columbus State Community College with a degree in Automotive Maintenance Technology. He has extensive independent and dealership field experience as a technician and shop owner and is an ASE Certified Master Technician and former Adjunct Automotive Professor. He has been professionally writing automotive technical articles and documents for many years and in his free time enjoys restoring old cars and creating custom interiors and upholstery.
Published:

This is always an important topic to discuss, because I consider excellent customer service one of the most important tools you can have to earn trust, respect and repeat business from the customers that come through your door. Whether that customer is do-it-yourselfer from across town or the professional repair shop across the street, your business depends on a solid relationship.It’s a subject that I am passionate about, and it’s one that many people are losing touch with. Whether you are communicating to someone in person, on the phone or using some type of social media, good customer service and bad can both exist. You can’t afford the latter, so this is the first in a series of topics which can and should be shared from the front of the shop to the back. No matter which role you hold, you represent the shop and yourself. Customer service should be your number one priority.First on the list is the greeting. From the second a customer walks in the door, they need to know you appreciate them coming in and how important they are to your business. First impressions are everything and here’s the correct way to do it each and every time: look them directly in the eye, smile and say hello!Of course, you can say “Good morning” or “Welcome to Joe’s Autocare,” but it should be a formal greeting and the most important thing is that you have smiled, looked them in the eye and recognized that they have walked through the door.You should always retain a formal greeting until you are on a first-name basis with a customer. Only once you have established that level of relationship is it OK to use the less formal greeting of “Hi,” followed by the person’s name.This greeting does more than just indicate respect and appreciation for someone walking through the door. Most likely there are customers both new and old who are in earshot of your conversation. For newer customers, this continues to build rapport and reinforce their positive view of your shop; they see that you demonstrate respect and treat everyone in the same manner. For repeat customers, even ones that have been coming for years, the greeting is important because the way you treat them is the reason they continue to come.And when a long-time customer comes in and you greet them with “Hi [First Name],” this indicates your appreciation for them and that you’re glad to see them as a person, more than just a customer. New customers that witness this will see that your repeat customers are comfortable enough to be on a first-name basis, another indication of the trust they have in you.

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