Steve Blackburn Motorsports, Tom Mabe join forces
When lifelong NASCAR fan Joshua Mabe of Louisville, Ky., heard that driver Travis Kvapil was without a sponsor he vowed to use his business skills to negotiate a sponsorship deal to keep the much-loved Kvapil racing. The twist: Mr.Mabe is just 10 years old and in the fourth grade. The pint-sized executive offered Yates Racing $300,000 in exchange for aving the logo of his father’s business, TomMabe.com, emblazoned on the side of Travis’s stock car. Nevermind that Dad was totally unaware of his son’s negotiations. The younger Mabe delivered his pitch with a level of credibility that kept several NASCAR team reps on the line for long periods of time. “He was trying to sponsor a different car every race, when my son told me he’d been having a series of conversations with different teams, I had to check my office phone recorder, my wife and I were curious to hear what was going on,” said Joshua’s dad, comedian Tom Mabe. “Little did I know that he was attempting to commit me to a deal that could have us taking a second mortgage on our house.”
Proud mom Melanie, said, “Josh has always been precocious, but in most ways, he’s just a typical little boy.” Joshua Made was crushed when his father told him that they couldn’t sponsor a major NASCAR driver. “Like me, Joshua has tourettes and OCD, but he also has this extra gear and a drive that can drive you crazy or drive you to Prestonsburg, Ky., to meet up with ARCA driver Steve Blackburn,” Tom Mabe said. Mabe has teamed up with Prestonsburg, Ky.-based ARCA driver Steve Blackburn. After several meetings and phone calls, Steve Blackburn Motorsports and TomMabe.com have teamed up together. Blackburn welcomed the chance to team up with TomMabe.com.
ABOUT STEVE BLACKBURN MOTORSPORTS
Steve Blackburn Motorsports, after capturing a NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing Series Atlantic Region championship and winning the Lonesome Pine Speedway (Va.) most popular driver award in 2004, felt challenged to take on the next level – the ARCA RE/MAX Series. Steve Blackburn’s first appearance the ARCA RE/MAX Series came at the 1.5 mile-paved oval Kentucky Speedway in May 2005. The Prestonsburg native took fellow competitors by surprise in his debut. Running fourth in practice at 166.3 mph, Blackburn proved to be a serious contender. Unfortunately, his qualifying attempt was hindered due to rainfall, keeping him out of the event. He returned to Kentucky Speedway in July and finished 14th place in a night race. In 2008, during an ARCA race at Talladega uperspeedway, Blackburn was running second with three laps remaining when a tire came apart. He started 11th and finished 22nd.
ABOUT TOM MABE
Everyone from Paul Harvey to the New York Times has proclaimed comedian Tom Mabe a ‘Comic Superhero’ for tackling pesky telemarketers and other topics that irk us all. He has been seen and heard on ABC, NBC, CMT, The Bob & Tom Show and The JohnBoy & Billy Show.