About Start ‘N’ Park Blog

Start ‘N’ Park Blog was founded on July 9, 2010 after two co-workers spiritedly debated about NASCAR, it brought them to the off handed comment: “people should hear us talk NASCAR.” On that day, Michael Metzger and Greg Netherwood decided on the ironic name of Start ‘N’ Park Blog and began to brain storm how they would go forth with their message.

The initial creation of the blog was merely a simple set up with occasional posts by Greg and Mike. This worked for the first couple of months before they realized they wouldn’t be able to grow without their own domain name and a new website format. In late 2010, StartNParkBlog.com was officially launched.

From there a Facebook fan page was created. Shortly thereafter, a Twitter account was added to help them gain insider information and interact with their followers on a more personal level. These advances allowed them to expand their coverage with more frequent posts.

In June of 2011, they were able to be one of the only media outlets to report live on the Mobil 1 Car Swap at Watkins Glen International. This is where Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton swapped his F1 car with NASCAR driver Tony Stewart. The video clip of Hamilton doing a donut in Stewart’s stock car was featured on the automotive blog site Jalopnik.

Greg and Mike were approached by representatives from Cohn & Wolfe marketing agency in October 2011. They requested assistance with the promotion of Valvoline’s new oil, a mixture of used and new oil called NextGen. Their satisfaction with the blog that was written led to future joint ventures involving 3M’s new Crystalline 90 Window Film, as well as follow ups on promotions of the NextGen oil.

That fall also saw their first major interview. Former NASCAR crew chief and current Fox Sports broadcaster Larry McReynolds sat down with Greg and Mike to discuss his career as a crew chief, a broadcaster, and what the end of the season will bring.

A partnership with the Yardbarker Sports Blog Network was forged, leading to the motivation for a comprehensive preview of the 2012 season. For 40 days building up to the Daytona 500, one preview per day was compiled featuring a driver and team along with their potential for the new season. New weekly features were also introduced: Stock Watch, and the introduction of a weekly podcast to discuss the news and action in NASCAR each week. On March 30, 2012, Mike and Greg were able to sit down and interview NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Justin Lofton.

Building on that momentum, Mike and Greg got the opportunity to not only get media credentials to the August NASCAR weekend, but were allowed by the track to take a tour of the facilities. Start ‘N’ Park Blog hopes to continue networking with tracks and is working on covering more events live and in person.

Due to a new career opportunity and working on his budding racing career, Greg decided to leave Start ‘N’ Park Blog. This has led to a new era for Start ‘N’ Park Blog. Utilizing Twitter, Mike has been able to network with other NASCAR bloggers. A recent collaboration with NASCAR Ranting and Raving’s Brandon Butler on a podcast, has resulted in further planning for future collaborations. In July of 2012, Jason Schultz joined the Start ‘N’ Park Blog team as a contributing writer. He will provide posts and help out in future podcasts.

On February 14th 2013, The Start ‘N’ Park Blog underwent a transformation where a new site layout was added.

With Mike at the helm and the additions of Brandon, Jason and increasing Brittany’s role, the future is bright for Start ‘N’ Park Blog to continue to be a fan’s one-stop-shop for statistics, news, and opinions on the world of NASCAR.

Start ‘N’ Park Blog is:

Michael Metzger – Founder, Editor-in-Chief, Lead Writer, Social Media Manager

Jason Schultz - Lead Writer

Brandon Butler - Graphic Designer, Writer

Brittany Snyder – Field Reporter, Editor