• by Michael Shields , June 7, 2004

Lucas Mast, editor in chief of American Thunder, a recently launched NASCAR-lifestyle book, knows he has something to sell to advertisers that most magazines cannot: that NASCAR loyalty. The passion the fans have for the sport and its drivers often translates to an almost religious devotion to the many brands that attach themselves to the sport, its drivers and anyone else associated.

"This demographic loves to be loyal and loves to support," he says. "You'd be hard pressed to find a facet of society where that sort of loyalty rings true."

American Thunder, which launched in February with a rate base of 100,000 and has published three issues, looks to be off to a solid start.

May attributes this to the fact that it is more of a lifestyle magazine than a sports book. "One of the challenges we have is that we are not a trying to be a news magazine," he says.

Rather, the book attempts to penetrate beyond the track into the lives of drivers, as well as the social and lifestyle elements of the sport. For example, a recent story covered bass fishing, liking it to racing by listing the top ten spots to fish near NASCAR tracks.

"It's not just for gear-heads, but for those who are just learning about the sport or maybe have been dragged to one race," he says. Mast estimates that his readership falls in the 25-45 demographic, with a perhaps surprising 40 percent of those readers being female.

Advertisers are climbing on board steadily. So far, brands such as Stanley, NAPPA Auto parts, RCA, Kelloggs, TLC, and Smirnoff have all found their way into the young title. "The advertisers that have been coming on have been really solid," he says.

The magazine's unofficial association with NASCAR (they are not licensed partners, but the two have a strong relationship) has certainly opened doors. "The advertising stuff takes time, but we are very pleased," he says. "There are brands like Home Depot that completely understand the market and others that late to the game and are trying to get it."

The fact that American Thunder is not officially part of NASCAR also helps in landing driver interviews. "The good thing for us is that the drivers are all independent," claims Mast. "They have to build themselves as a brand. That helps us build our own brand awareness."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. graced the mag's first cover, Rusty Wallace the second, and a pair of rookie drivers is splitting the current issue.

Mast believes the timing is perfect for a book like this to be accepted by the ad community, as old perceptions of NASCAR are washing away.

"Everyone on Madison Avenue understands what NASCAR is," he says. "Whatever stereotype was present, everyone's getting over it. People try to dismiss things here or there, but with the TV ratings, and when you have 100,000 people at a race..."

It also helps when you landing Wal-mart as a distributor, creating a level of respect for readers, advertisers, and other distributors, according to Mast. "That helps to build the brand."

As a sign of momentum, the magazine just picked up Lowes Stores 659 locations, and also signed a deal with United Feature Syndicate to run a regular column from American Thunder in over 1,500 newspapers.

As for how readers and retailers perceive the magazine, Mast says it varies as to how American Thunder is categorized, which speaks to its varied editorial.

"Sometimes we are placed with sports books, sometimes with NASCAR books, sometimes with lifestyle pubs like Men's Journal and Outside," he says.

While still solid in the South and Southeast, NASCAR continues to become more national. Next year, a new schedule of events that reaches into previously untapped markets, such as Los Angeles, Seattle, and maybe even New York, should only help expansion for the sport and American Thunder. "As the demographic continues to grow, they become more and more indistinguishable (from the rest of the country)," Mast says.