Even a Hurricane Can’t Stop Britten
From Putting the Pedal to the Metal
For NASCAR and Dover Downs
The scene
With a major NASCAR Nextel Cup race coming up, a Britten installation team spends two full weeks completing the painstaking installation of a series of huge sponsor event banners — some as big as 30 feet wide by 60 feet high — at legendary Dover Downs International Speedway in Dover, Delaware.
The snare
Two days before the race, the remnants of a major hurricane moved up the East Coast, pounding Dover Downs with winds of nearly 50 miles per hour.
The Britten team attempts to take the event banners down, but the high winds make being up in a crane far too dangerous. Instead, they join the Dover Downs and NASCAR teams in watching helplessly as the winds completely destroy nine huge custom outdoor banners and damage many others.
Britten in action
Immediately, the presses begin to roll at Britten’s Traverse City, Michigan headquarters, reprinting the lost and damaged outdoor event banners. Later that day, the finished event signage is rushed to Dover Downs along with two additional Britten installation teams.
With three teams working around-the-clock for 48 hours, Britten re-installs the new stadium banners and repairs those that were damaged.
On the morning of the race, the sun shines. The arena banners look spectacular (as always). NASCAR, Dover Downs and the sponsors — some of the world’s most recognized brands — can’t believe what Britten has just pulled off. And the announcer says: “Gentleman, start your engines.”
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