Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend at Iowa Preview with Toronto winner Christian Lundgaard, Hy-Vee Chairman Randy Edeker and Executive VP and CMO Anna Stoermer

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Speakers: Bruce Martin, Christian Lundgaard, Randy Edeker, & Anna Stoermer

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Bruce Martin:

IndyCar fans, it's time to start your engines. Welcome to Pit Pass Indy, a production of Evergreen Podcasts. I'm your host, Bruce Martin, a journalist who regularly covers the NTT IndyCar Series.

Our goal at Pit Pass Indy is to give racing fans an insider's view of the exciting world of the NTT IndyCar Series in a fast-paced podcast featuring interviews with the biggest names in the sport.

I bring nearly 40 years of experience covering IndyCar and NASCAR, working for such media brands as nbcsports.com, si.com, ESPN Sports Ticker, Sports Illustrated, Autoweek and Speed Sport.

So, let's drop the green flag on this episode of Pit Pass Indy.

Welcome to this week's edition of Pit Pass Indy presented by Hy-Vee. We are proud and honored to bring Hy-Vee to the show as the presenting sponsor of Pit Pass Indy. We will continue to cover the entire NTT IndyCar Series community, and our partners at Hy-Vee will help us tell those stories.

Hy-Vee is proud to be the sponsor of the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway as IndyCar returns to the fastest short track on the planet this weekend, July 21st to 23rd.

For tickets, fans can visit hyveeindycarweekend.com or call the ticket office at (641) 417-6007, Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Time.

Race week for the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend is here, and just as the schedule is packed with racing and entertainment at Iowa Speedway, so is today's Pit Pass Indy.

Christian Lundgaard couldn't have staged it any better as the driver of the No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing won Sunday's Honda Indy Toronto, the race leading into Iowa.

It was the 21-year-old driver from Denmark's first career IndyCar victory, and he did it in dominating style. Starting on the pole and leading 54 laps in the 85-lap contest at Toronto's exhibition place.

Later in the show, we have extensive and exclusive interviews with Hy-Vee chairman of the board, Randy Edeker, and Hy-Vee executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Anna Stoermer.

Both detailed the intriguing story of how Hy-Vee has become one of the major partners for IndyCar and the exciting plans for this weekend.

But first, I caught up with the latest IndyCar winner after his big victory at Toronto, as Christian Lundgaard joins me for this exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview.

There's no better way to start Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa than to have the Hy-Vee car go into victory lane at the Honda Indy Toronto. It's Christian Lundgaard of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, who scored his first career IndyCar Series victory in last Sunday's race on the streets of Toronto.

Christian, I imagine you couldn't have planned any bit better for your sponsors at Hy-Vee.

Christian Lundgaard:

I guess the only thing that could have been better is if we had waited a week for Iowa, but at this point, we are going into Iowa having the first pit box and going off to win.

It's the best way to give back to everything that Hy-Vee's doing for us as a team, and doing for me, and even the series. So, we'll go into Iowa with the most highest expectations for sure.

Bruce Martin:

You're also, going to go into Iowa clean shaven. You finally got a chance to shave off your mustache. I know that you and your friend from Denmark, Victor Petersen had this deal going where you were going to grow a mustache till you scored your first career IndyCar Series race victory.

It's probably the first time in IndyCar history, somebody shaved in victory lane. How does it feel to finally get that out of the way?

Christian Lundgaard:

Yeah. I mean, it's definitely been something that a motivation to get rid of, but it was just this funny little joke that ended up sticking and now, it's done. I'm sure his parents are very happy with it being gone.

But it's just having a win for this team as well with the struggles that we've had in the past year and a half at least. Now, I think we can say that's that we're almost there. We're not quite there. We're not there consistently enough, so there's more work to do.

But we will all celebrate this one and make sure that we'll come back in Iowa even stronger and for sure go to Nashville where we were competitive last year and now, knowing that we are going off the street course win.

Bruce Martin:

It's just 21-years-old, you're going to turn 22 next Sunday. You started on the pole at Toronto, and you led 54 laps in the 85-lap race. You pretty much showed that you had the best car in the field, the No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda.

Little bit of tire strategy, a little bit of pit stop strategy came into play there midway. But once you were able to get the lead, you pretty much controlled the race, drove away to an 11 second victory.

When you look back at the strategy and the way everything went for you this weekend, would you almost say it was as close to a flawless weekend as the Hy-Vee Honda could get?

Christian Lundgaard:

Yeah. I mean, as a team, we didn't roll off as the fastest. We made changes and made progress throughout the weekend. I did not believe personally that I had the fastest car in qualifying. The conditions for sure helped us.

But we made it happen when it counted, and we, in my opinion, we were definitely the fastest car out there today. And just driving away from the field, I think proved that the few miles, which was super easy to get.

So, I got to thank Honda for that and even Hy-Vee for just giving the whole team and me this opportunity.

Bruce Martin:

Once you had the lead and you were driving away from second place, it was almost like you were running qualifying laps a little bit at that because it was smooth sailing. You didn't really have anybody in your rear-view mirror until you caught up with traffic. What was that like?

Christian Lundgaard:

It only made it easier to get fuel mileage, really. So, I wasn't really worried about people catching up. We were still pulling away at that point, so it was as soon as I was in clean air, it was a pretty easy race.

Kind of just making sure that I hit my marks and didn't make mistakes. And I was counting the lap down from on the dash kind of as I got to eight laps to go. I just started thinking about all the memories that me and my family have from go-karting and going up the ranks in motor sports, to now, having achieved this.

But you always remember your first one. And it's only a matter of time now, I think before we get our second one.

Bruce Martin:

Speaking of getting your second one, that could come in the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway. You're going to be utilized significantly by our friends at Hy-Vee.

To be able to go into that as a winner, how much has that even increased the excitement level and the demands on your time?

Christian Lundgaard:

Right now, we are going in with expectations, but at the same time, we've struggled at the ovals. I do think that we've improved our package for sure. We showed that at the test as well.

So, going into the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend, we'll be doing everything we can to get the best result. But right now, we've got it all lined up. So, we need to execute, for sure.

Bruce Martin:

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing had a struggle during the month of May at the Indianapolis 500.

To be able to rally back in such a short period of time and get into victory lane, how satisfying is that, not only for yourself, but for team owners, Bobby Rahal, David Letterman, Michael Lanigan, and all the guys on the crew?

Christian Lundgaard:

I mean, we're a racing team. We're competitive, we want to win. And now, sort of having done that, I think it changes the expectations for sure. It always does.

And it's been a tough time for the team and for me. I'm sure for Graham and Jack as well.

But we’re moving in the right direction, so whatever track we really go to at the end of the year, I think we'll go in with everything that we have. And then we'll see what we have, but I'm sure that there's definitely another podium coming.

Bruce Martin:

And wrapping up here with Honda Indy Toronto race winner, Christian Lundgaard of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver of the No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda, how do you feel to be able to get Hy-Vee into victory lane heading into Iowa?

It's got to really be exciting for you to be able to help a company that's helped you and the team out so much.

Christian Lundgaard:

Yes. I mean, having Hy-Vee on our side and now, being able to get this for them. Obviously, I don't think there could have been a better time other than the next weekend.

But for sure, we'll be going into Indy Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend with everything we got, and hopefully we can make it happen there as well. And then give them the best result that they do this deserve.

Bruce Martin:

Christian Lundgaard driver of the No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda, congratulations on scoring your first career IndyCar Series victory. Good luck next weekend at the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa. And thank you for joining us today, on Pit Pass Indy presented by Hy-Vee.

Christian Lundgaard:

Thank you.

Bruce Martin:

We'll be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break.

Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy presented by Hy-Vee.

Randy Edeker is the chairman of the board at Hy-Vee and the mastermind behind the concept and execution of this weekend's entertainment and racing extravaganza, the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa. Here's my exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview with Edeker as we head to Iowa Speedway.

It's Pit Pass Indy presented by Hy-Vee, and we're proud to have the chairman of the board of Hy-Vee join us now. It's Randy Edeker.

Randy, going into the second Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway, I guess you could not have gotten any better publicity than to have the Hy-Vee IndyCar win the previous race going into the weekend as Christian Lundgaard won Sunday's Honda Indy Toronto.

How exciting was that for you and the folks at Hy-Vee as you prepare for what is the biggest race weekend on IndyCar of the summer?

Randy Edeker:

Well, we were just thrilled. Christian is an amazing young driver. He's very determined. Very, very focused. I think he's got the full team support. And I know Bobby and Mike and Dave, all of them want to win. They got the right components.

And I'm sure you watched the race, they had the right strategy. The strategy worked out perfect, and Christian ended up winning by 10 seconds.

And I mean, it was an amazing race. It was fun to watch. I had my whole family gathered around and we were hooping and hollering, and everybody was super excited.

And you're right, it's a great kickoff to go into our back-to-back races that are coming up this next weekend. We're really excited.

And it's momentum that we feel like we need as a part of our Indy strategy and a part of helping the race off in a big way. And really just could not be more proud of Christian.

Bruce Martin:

In the grocery business, you had product placement, and I guess what Christian Lundgaard did by winning the race was give the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway some great product placement for Hy-Vee.

Randy Edeker:

Well, there's no doubt. I mean, there's lots of reasons that we got into Indy racing. Lots of great elements of it that help us support the core of our brand, and our sales, and everything that we're about.

But you're obviously, looking for publicity, and that's how you get publicity is you have your car finish well. And to finish both, first win the pole and then finish in first place, and really lead most of the race, that's just great coverage and great footage and reflects well of our brand.

And so, yeah, it's exactly what you hope you get into IndyCar for to promote your brand and be a part of a great sport.

Bruce Martin:

How important was it for you as the sponsor to see Rahal Letterman Lanigan racing rebound from what was a very difficult month to May at the Indianapolis 500?

Randy Edeker:

Oh, yeah. I mean, there's no doubt. Bobby and I had several conversations, Mike and I talked. It's a key part of our strategy to promote the store for our people. We have 85,000 employees that are all part of it, all pulling for the car. And you want that win. You don't want to see your car finish last.

And so, yeah, it's a key part of our strategy and it's a great rebound. One that we're exceptionally proud because I know that Bobby and Mike had to make some tough calls, had to rearrange some staff.

But to get the right people on the team to get it moving forward, it definitely paid off and was a real dramatic flip from the beginning of the year. And just one I'm really super pleased with.

Bruce Martin:

And what's it been like working with Christian Lundgaard this year? Last year, you had Jack Harvey from England as the Hy-Vee driver. During the off season, they gave the Hy-Vee car over to Christian Lundgaard. Jack Harvey drives a different car at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

So, now, you have a driver from Denmark, a young 21-year-old, he's going to turn 22 this Sunday, which will be the second race of the Hy-Vee IndyCar Doubleheader. I imagine you probably have a birthday cake ready to go in the bakery for that.

But what's it been like working with Christian Lundgaard?

Randy Edeker:

Well, I mean, they're both different individuals. We work with Graham in the past also. We also, have a sponsorship agreement with both Jack and Graham along with Christian, but they're obviously different drivers.

Christian, I see is very serious. He's very focused on the team effort, helping the team move forward, staying involved in all of the details. And I think that's what's made a big difference for he and his team, his pit crew, is his involvement, his leadership, his communication.

And you can see he's very focused on moving the team forward and very much sees it as a team effort. And yeah, we've been proud to support that. Jack is a great driver. We enjoy Jack.

But I said to Bobby years ago, “I'm not a race car guy. I try to stay out of who drives what and who's going to be our driver.” I'll leave that to Bobby. He drives race cars, we sell pork and beans, and that's what we know well.

And so, we're super, super proud of Christian. Glad to have Christian, and we're glad to still have a relationship with Jack and with Graham.

Bruce Martin:

And speaking of selling pork and beans, what did Christian Lundgaard's victory mean as far as the 85,000 employees that you have that work at Hy-Vee?

Randy Edeker:

Well, I mean, everybody pours their heart and soul into this event coming up. Everybody's very focused on making sure that it comes off very, very well.

And so, for us, it's really key. It's a source of pride, it's a source of bragging rights. Our car finished first and got the pole. I mean, so yeah, everybody's very, very proud.

Bruce Martin:

Now, of course, another thing with pride is what Hy-Vee's been able to do with Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and Penske Entertainment to revive Iowa Speedway.

And turn a track that was a pretty good short track back in the day, but now, you've turned it into an entertainment extravaganza, doubleheader weekend with four great acts that will perform before and after each of the two races.

What's that pride been like in being able to take something that Iowa can now, be proud of?

Randy Edeker:

Yeah. I mean, it's a big point of pride for all of our group. They work very hard on it. It doesn't just happen. It takes a lot of planning, a lot of setup.

I'm going over there this afternoon for a walkthrough. We've added more seating, added more suites. We've added pit lane suites behind the pits. So, that's going to be new this year.

Four great acts, as you've already discussed. Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney, the Zac Brown band, Ed Sheeran, all huge acts in and of themselves.

When we started out, we had our first conversation with Roger Penske and with Bud Denker about what we're going to create. We wanted to create a destination race around a short oval and really create an action-packed event.

We think we've done that. We've invested a lot. And really it is all about helping Central Iowa, helping the city of Newton.

They built the track here years ago, and people will ask me about that. I don't know how it all came to be, but it's here now. So, investing in it and helping create a destination event for people to come and try Iowa, get to see Iowa, come and visit. It's crucial, and it's all helps Iowa be a more competitive state.

We've got a lot of Iowa businesses that invest in the race, sponsor it, and we appreciate them and want to thank them for all their help and support, because we couldn't do it without all the local businesses and the support of the governor and the city.

So, it's a collective effort. We're proud of everybody that's come around to support it. And hopefully, we'll get more and more people to keep coming to the event. I mean, our acts alone should bring people to Iowa.

And then I think if people don't know Indy racing, once you watch it, it's like infectious and you become a massive fan of Indy racing. We think that's all part of the big picture and all part of supporting really the Indy race group and supporting Roger and all of his team.

Bruce Martin:

I was talking to Michael Montri, the president of the Hy-Vee Iowa Race Weekend from the Penske Entertainment side, and he said the remarkable thing is when he started working with Hy-Vee, how similar the Penske Corporation and Hy-Vee really are.

Is that one of the things that struck you when you first started working with that group?

Randy Edeker:

Well, absolutely. They talk about Penske perfect. We have put on other events in the past, we did international tryout on other things. The core of our business is running great grocery stores and creating great product. That's what we really do.

But when we apply ourselves to these other events, you see all those skillsets that you use to run great grocery stores, you see those morph into running a great race.

And so, there's a lot of focus on the attention to detail, focus on the small little things that make a difference for the fan who's coming to make it a perfect experience for them.

And I know that both Roger, and Bud, and Michael, all of them invest heavily in making sure they put on perfect events.

So, combined, really, our two cultures have come together very, very well. We understand each other, and we have the same objectives, the same goals that we want to get accomplished.

We want our customers who are going to come and be race fans, to be thrilled with the venue, thrilled with the entertainment that they see. And so, so do Roger, and Bud, and Michael, they want the same thing. We want to put on a great race, have a great experience. And have them leave and want to come back.

Bruce Martin:

As we head into Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway, what have the ticket sales been like for the second year? What has the enthusiasm level been like for the second year?

Randy Edeker:

Well, we've already sold more tickets than last year. We added 5,000 extra seats. So, we've got a few tickets left to sell. But from a ticket sales standpoint, we're really happy. We think that we're in really good shape. Proud of our ticket sales, proud of what we've done.

And we've added some new venues. We have a lot more entertainment that will be a part of the weekend, free entertainment. Friday night will be a big free night to come and see the track and take advantage of seeing what's coming.

So, there's a lot that goes into the weekend that should make it a better weekend, should make it more and more exciting for the fans to come more, to see more, to be a part of.

Bruce Martin:

Before you became involved with Iowa Speedway, a lot of the IndyCar races at Iowa were pretty exciting events, but they were held in front of what I would call grassroots race fans.

Last year, you opened it up to people who wanted to experience high quality entertainment with IndyCar racing.

So, what would you say would be the breakdown between first time visitors that came to Iowa Speedway last year, and how many of those first-time visitors are repeat customers?

Randy Edeker:

Well, I don't have the number in front of me, but we've got to have a bunch of repeat customers because we're surpassed the numbers from last year. So, that just tells you that people that set it as a destination last year are coming back this year, to be a part of the event.

You obviously, have big entertainment, it's going to pull people from Chicago, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Omaha, pull them into our markets. So, that has a bit of an effect, obviously, with different acts coming this year.

But for the most part, I think we've got to be bringing people back for the second year in a row. And hopefully, we'll do that again the next year.

Bruce Martin:

What are your plans with IndyCar? I spoke with Anna Stoermer, your chief marketing officer, and she said that Hy-Vee utilizes IndyCar like the North Star to get their partner suppliers involved in a season long promotion that not only helps promote their products, but also, helps promote Indy cars.

How would you describe that North Star strategy?

Randy Edeker:

Well, realistically, if you look at, we're a very decentralized brand, so we let our store directors make lots of decisions about how to merchandise, and what to sell, and how to sell it.

And so, really, we'll use activities like Indy to kind of really, in Anna's terms, be a North Star, be a focal point to help organize them, guide them, give them ideas, get their creative juices flowing.

And so, we do that with the NFL. We sponsor the Vikings, the Packers, the Chiefs. We do it with the NBA and lots of college sports, college basketball.

If you look at the time that Indy is prevalent, really starting the end of March and really April, May in that timeframe, and then running into September, we don't have anything else that we really sponsor that outside of Major League Baseball, which is multiple markets.

So, Indy is universal, it's national. So, we're able to invest in Indy, put on a race, have a race car that then we can tie back in, promote in-store, tie products back in, tie supplier partnerships in to help promote our stores and help activate in the store.

It's a perfect strategy. It makes sense for us, and it's a great way to activate our brands in store. Have something for our store directors, our department heads, and our store leaders to rally around to promote their store and engage with the customers.

Bruce Martin:

Also, IndyCar has a scheduling strategy where their season concludes the weekend after Labor Day, their season is over, and that's about the time the NFL, the season is starting to get going.

So, how well does that strategy fit in with your promotional efforts with the Kansas City Chiefs, the Minnesota Vikings, the Green Bay Packers?

Randy Edeker:

Fits perfect. And then we have we have over 30 Division 1 schools that we sponsor. So, you really go from IndyCar into tailgating and into fall football, high school sports. Really kickoff with volleyball and with football.

And so, it fits perfect and that's exactly been part of our strategy. When we looked at Indy, we looked at their schedule years ago, and that's one of the things that kind of really worked for us to help sell it to all of our stores, to get active, get focused, and start merchandising around it. It really works as a perfect strategy.

Bruce Martin:

With the Indianapolis 500, did you notice an uptick in just involvement after many people in Iowa went to the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa last year?

Did you notice that they were like, “Hey, let's see what happens here at the Indianapolis 500?” Did you notice a lot of suppliers, customers, partners, talk about that?

Randy Edeker:

Well, obviously, the Indy 500 is kind of an entity in and of itself. It's the big race. And I think if people have never gone, they've never experienced it themselves, it's hard to grasp just people telling you about it.

But I've been several times now, and it is the biggest race in the world. I've been to Formula 1 races, I've been … it's got an atmosphere all in and of itself. So, yeah, it's obviously a big uptick.

And us promoting Indy, promoting our driver, frankly, and our car, I think those things don't happen overnight. But I do think it starts to build and I think it creates following.

And I think I said it earlier, but I'm an Indy fan, obviously, and it is infectious, and you do get into the racing, and you do start to really watch. And it is the best racing, I think, in the world, frankly. And I think that it does become infectious, and it will keep growing.

And I think the Indianapolis 500 is something we're very focused on in helping push and promote and help continue to keep it growing and keep it status as the best race in the world.

I think, yeah, you're definitely going to see the fan base moving that way from Iowa and our eight states in the Midwest as we move into Indiana.

Bruce Martin:

How about the enthusiasm level of your vendors and corporate partners? So, 104 different sponsors that are involved with the race this weekend?

Randy Edeker:

Yeah, they're focused on several things. They're focused on us activating, putting the deals in the store, the displays, having the display activity, the demos, all those things that are built around it. That's one of the focuses.

But then the other focus is we have some vendor partners on our car. Obviously, Gatorade has been a massive sponsor of our car this year. We've been activating it all the races around Gatorade, the different flavors that Christian has picked and in his different suits that he is worn each different week to match the Gatorade flavor. That's been a key part of it.

But they love the activity. They want to get active.

And then we have over 350 stores, we have 500 total stores with our wine and spirits activating in, pulling in, tying into Indy. It all fits and it's a good strategy for them also, because we get the sales that we need and we promote and have a big event.

And so, you'll see all of those suppliers will have presence at the event. This next weekend, they'll all be there. They'll have lots of people there taking part in the event also.

Bruce Martin:

Last year, you were the CEO of Hy-Vee. And then a week or two after the race ended, you announced that you were leaving that position, would become chairman of the board. Did that give you more time to devote to this project?

Randy Edeker:

Yeah, I've spent a lot of time working with Anna, working with Matt Nickell, who's in charge of our sports marketing. It's one of the things that I wanted to stay connected with.

I'm just at a point where I was ready to name a successor, Jeremy Gosch, is that guy. He's a perfect guy to succeed me. And this is just part of the transition of moving to the next stage as I get closer to retirement.

I just wanted to transition out of the company and take on things that I'm very passionate about. Help guide, keep directing, help make sure that they're going in the direction that I think they ought to go. Working hand in hand with Jeremy.

And so, I've morphed to become the chairman of the board. This is the first time in Hy-Vee's 95-year history that we've had a separate chairman of the board and CEO.

And you're working with Forbes, that's not that unusual. There are other companies that have been set up that way. We've never done that. So, it's new to our company.

But it's working for now and it's the right position for me right now, and the right position for Jeremy. And we'll move forward over the next couple years.

And Jeremy eventually will move into the role of chairman of the board also, along with CEO down the road. But for now, this was the right job.

And yeah, one of the things that I've chosen that I want to stay actively involved with is our Indy race and our Indy car, making sure that it's a good strategy, a good investment for our stockholders, and we're getting a good return out of that.

And national presence because that's really why we would do it. That's why we invested with Indy in the first place.

Bruce Martin:

Do you see the company's involvement increasing with IndyCar in the future?

Randy Edeker:

I think where it makes sense, yes. So, we sponsor the Big Machine race down in Nashville. We sponsor the Detroit race. This past year, we were a sponsor of that race.

There's some other races that we'll take a look at. We've had conversation about the Indy 500, frankly. What can we do with the Indy 500 and how would we activate around the Speedway?

So, yeah, I think you'll continue to see us invest in some other races around the Midwest that makes sense. And also, service the same customer base that we have now.

Bruce Martin:

There was a lot of talk after last year's race in the IndyCar community that Hy-Vee pretty much showed the blueprint of how you go out and promote a race, and create a buzz, and create excitement.

Do you see that encouraging other promoters of the races on the schedule to go out and up their game a little bit in terms of creating more of a buzz for each of their events?

Randy Edeker:

Well, yeah. I mean, I think that any big event that is actively promoted and has strong marketing is going to do better.

I think you've got some great races though that are just really doing that. The Music City, I think that what Big Machine is doing with that race down in Nashville is equally as exciting to what we're doing here.

We're using the venue that we have. We have a back-to-back race, so that makes it exciting.

I think what Penske Corp did in Detroit to create that race Downtown Detroit was equally impressive.

And I think that you've got some races coming on and some races that have been around for years, there's a lot of excitement around those races. I watched the full race in Toronto and had a fabulous crowd, just had a great crowd as a part of that event.

So, to me that's what's exciting. I think you're going to see lots of excitement building around some of these other races, including Big Machine, as I mentioned in our race that I think it's going to continue. It's a momentum and I think there's good momentum behind Indy racing. It's exciting.

I think some of the things that they're doing, Michael and Bud behind the scenes, the 100 Days to Indy show, just getting it start. I think those things are important to help promote the brand and help keep building the Indy brand I think is going to be important for the entire race series.

Bruce Martin:

So, for the ticket buyers that come out to Iowa Speedway this weekend for the second Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa, what are some of the new things that they could expect to see and some of the new entertainment things maybe away in the fan area that they might be able to see that they didn't have there last year?

Randy Edeker:

Yeah. So, we have basically a beer garden set up that has over a dozen acts that we're bringing in. So, lots more entertainment outside the actual event that will be going throughout the entire weekend. So, there's lots of live entertainment. We've got dozens of bands like I mentioned.

Some of our supplier partners are bringing in kiosk, different things to go and take a look. We have a lot more of fan materials to buy. Lots of shirts, lots of promoting the concerts that we have. That's going to be exciting.

So, as far as the race goes, it's going to be fun and exciting. We have lots of food. Being a food company, we're very focused on the quality of the food. And so, we've really invested heavily to make sure that we've got great partners built around getting great food to all of the people that are attending the race.

So, I think between the free concerts and everything else happening, there's going to be plenty going on that everybody will come and be thrilled with.

Bruce Martin:

Last year, you had the portable stores, the portable Hy-Vees where fans could go out and buy whatever they needed for their campsites. Will you be doing that again this year?

Randy Edeker:

Yeah, absolutely. They're back and they're going to be out just like they were last year. We've improved our assortment just a little bit, found more what the customers want. And so, yep, that'll be out, and we'll have those available for everybody.

Bruce Martin:

And how early in the year did you notice people starting to talk in the Iowa area about the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend and IndyCar in particular?

Randy Edeker:

Well, I think you have the diehard Indy fans that are thrilled to have a race here. And those folks probably are more excited about the actual race than the concerts. They're coming to see the Indy race. So, we've got that group, they start talking right away.

And then we've got a fair amount of people that are waiting to see who our concerts are going to be now, and they're coming for the concert.

But I think that's how you introduce new fans to the sport. I think people will come and they may come for one concert or another, but once they watch the Indy race, they become Indy fans. And that's part of the investment I think with Penske to help build the fan base back in Iowa.

This is per capita back in the day, Iowa had the largest amount of open wheel race fans in the country. And I think that's credit to Knoxville and the Knoxville Speedway that just had great following.

And so, I think this is a way to invest in a sport that will be and is on the upswing in Iowa to keep building our fan base back and help this event be a bigger deal down the road. I think it's going to be important for everybody involved.

Bruce Martin:

And of course, you'll always have that delineation between the diehard race fans that are there to watch the race and the people who've never seen a race that come there to see the entertainment. Have you noticed that line softening a little bit?

Because when you first announced the ticket prices for this year's event, there was a little bit of a bump in the road from some people that said, “Well, I just want to see the race.” Or other people that were like, “Well, I just want to see the concerts.” How did you weather that storm?

Randy Edeker:

Well, frankly, I think we just haven't worried about it, to be honest. And we understand everybody's got an opinion. The reality is, if you were going to see Kenny Chesney or Ed Sheeran, they sold concerts out.

I was in Boston and Kenny Chesney sold three concerts out in a day. And we're bringing that level of entertainment to Iowa. The fact that Ed Sheeran's coming, Ed Sheeran can sell out a football stadium in a day.

And so, to bring that kind of entertainment here, we just don't worry about it. We know that there's diehard race fans that think our ticket prices are more than other places, but the reality is this is the package we're putting together.

Four huge concerts and two great races all in one day, actually more races if you consider Indy NXT running.

So, that's just part of our strategy. It's just the race event that we're going to put together, and this is the ticket prices. And we're working to put the best entertainment out there possible and create an event that becomes a destination.

And I think the long term, the diehard Indy fans should really appreciate what we're doing because we're trying to build the sport to be bigger, build the fan base and we're doing it with entertainment.

Bruce Martin:

Do you notice a lot of feed feedback from people last year, who came out for one or the other and left saying, “Hey I didn't know much about this group, but hey, I'm a fan now.”

Randy Edeker:

Well, that definitely came out more from the people that came for entertainment, that watched the Indy race and said, “I've never seen an Indy race. And man, I liked it.”

And I think that's where this is a big investment for Indy because you've got this diverse entertainment fans that are coming and the only one common between all of the days is the Indy race. And that's the thing that we have in common.

I think the biggest benefit to our race is growing the fan base around the Indy car races. And that's majority, almost solely, what I heard was people that came for a concert and end up watching the race and really liked it.

Bruce Martin:

And as we head in the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa, how much is the excitement level peaked with you?

Randy Edeker:

Well, I mean, in the past, I was the chairman, CEO, and president and you're going to have to just be fired up about it.

But I can tell you my executive leadership, I'm actually sitting outside of the Newton Speedway right now, and all of our executive vice presidents are here at the race today.

To get a tour, to understand what's going to be happening this weekend, to talk about our strategies, what we need to do to make sure that it's a flawless event and get everybody in touch with what's going on.

And so, yeah, I mean, everybody's enthusiastic. If you look at our entire team, everybody is fired up about this event and making sure that it comes off perfect.

Bruce Martin:

Hy-Vee Chairman, Randy Edeker, good luck on this weekend's Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway and thank you for joining us today, on Pit Pass Indy presented by Hy-Vee, where there's a helpful smile in every aisle.

Randy Edeker:

Yeah, thanks for having me. I appreciate it and I hope to see you here.

Bruce Martin:

We'll be right back to Pit Pass Indy after this short break.

Welcome back to Pit Pass Indy presented by Hy-Vee.

Anna Stoermer is Hy-Vee's executive vice president and chief marketing officer. She explains the company's strategy and its growing involvement with IndyCar in this exclusive Pit Pass Indy interview.

Joining us now, on Pit Pass Indy presented by Hy-Vee is Anna Stoermer, the executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Hy-Vee.

Anna, some exciting things going on here at Hy-Vee as you prepare for the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway. Talk about everything that's involved being out at the track for the open test. I see a lot of construction going on out there.

Anna Stoermer:

Yeah. So, we have a jam-packed weekend ready to roll in Newton, Iowa this summer in July. Some of the highlights are we brought in some suite structures from the Waste Management Open and from the Formula 1 races that will happen in Vegas in the future. And we're building them right here in Iowa.

So, it's very exciting. We're bringing an elite experience for all of our race fans that come out to join us for that weekend.

And on top of the facility itself, we have four A-list entertainers joining us that weekend. So, starting on Saturday we'll have Carrie Underwood and Kenny Chesney. And then on Sunday, great lineup with Zac Brown Band and Ed Sheeran. So, very excited for this great weekend in Iowa.

Bruce Martin:

I was at the open test and one of the things that I noticed was there was also, a construction project going on behind pit lane. What are you building out there and will those be permanent?

Anna Stoermer:

So, those will actually be temporary as well. And those are the Formula 1 structures that we're bringing to the heart of IndyCar here in Iowa.

And so, that will go 50 feet up into the air. It's three-story building, sits on a seven-foot platform and holds about 33 suites. And so, you can go out the front to see the front stretch and you can walk out the back and see the back stretch and you're high enough in the air to see the whole oval.

So, very exciting experience that we'll have for race fans.

Bruce Martin:

One of the other things that's impressive about your relationship with Penske Entertainment and Iowa Speedway is the fact that you've been able to bring in so many of your vendors who are corporate partners, not only with Hy-Vee, but now, with IndyCar.

And how important is that? Because I've been told that the suites and turns one and turn four are pretty much sold out.

Anna Stoermer:

Yeah, they are. So, we've had a great season with support from our sponsors, whether they be through our industry of retail grocery or through the state of Iowa. So, it's been a really successful year.

We have 104 different sponsors who are joining us this weekend and we're very thankful for their support because without them this event would not be taking place.

And so, they support everything from purchasing a suite with us to marketing and branding within the facility at the Iowa Speedway and within our retail stores. And so, it's been a really great partnership for us as a grocery retail business. But then also, with our communities in Iowa.

Bruce Martin:

We're at the Hy-Vee corporate headquarters here in West Des Moines, Iowa.

I was here in 2021 when the governor of Iowa, Kim Reynolds and Roger Penske, the owner of the Penske Corporation and IndyCar, made the big announcement with Randy Edeker of Hy-Vee that the Iowa Speedway was going to be revived and that Hy-Vee was going to be — it's more than a sponsorship. It's almost like you're a partner with them.

So, if you could just tell us how far that relationship has come and why it was so important with Hy-Vee to get involved with IndyCar and Iowa Speedway.

Anna Stoermer:

Yeah. So, with Hy-Vee, we are the largest employer in Iowa. And so, typically, if there's something that the state needs, they're very comfortable with asking Hy-Vee to step in and help.

With it being an event like this, something that we could create a destination weekend for people to travel from outside the state to enjoy our great state of Iowa, we knew that we had to really do something that stood out and stood above the rest of the races on the series.

And so, we did that one, with entertainment that we have coming, but then two, with Penske Entertainment being the true promoter of the race, they've been a great partner letting us really bring our dreams to life out at the Iowa Speedway.

So, it's a little abnormal for a title sponsor to involve themselves the way that Hy-Vee has, but Penske Entertainment's been a great partner helping us make sure we can build the suites, and bring the entertainment, and put a stage in the middle of the racetrack so that everyone can see the concerts.

It's been really unique for us to figure this out together and to make it a great event.

Bruce Martin:

So, with Hy-Vee being involved throughout the upper Midwest, the greater Midwest, and into the South, if you could give our listeners a breakdown of how many states you're in right now, and how many stores, and how many employees Hy-Vee has.

Anna Stoermer:

Yeah. So, we are in eight states all throughout the Midwest, so almost any state that's touching Iowa. And then we have plans to grow very soon into Indiana and Nashville as well.

Beyond that, we have 550 just over that in business units. And so, that includes our fast and fresh locations, our Hy-Vee grocery retail stores. We also, have Wall to Wall Wine and Spirits locations, and we're a big health company with several pharmacy locations as well.

So, that's kind of the breakdown of the business and the lay of the land, but really primarily here in the Midwest, in the heartland. And we just have a really great employee base.

And so, our employee base is 85,000 strong. Number one employer in Iowa, but just really great employees throughout all the eight states we operate in.

Bruce Martin:

But you do more to promote IndyCar in states that you don't even have Hy-Vee stores. So, if you could explain the ability to do that and how important that is for Hy-Vee.

Anna Stoermer:

Yeah. So, the strategy is IndyCar can become a really easy way for us to tell a national story. And so, as a Midwest regional grocery retailer, we have really decided to punch above our weight when it comes to what is the national story that we can tell.

And so, we have a couple things that can be used by people who live anywhere in the US. And one of those things would be RedBox Rx. And so, that's a direct ship pharmacy program that we have and that we can ship pharmacy to all 50 states. And so, we promote heavily with RedBox Rx throughout the IndyCar series.

Another option is our Vivid Clear discount card. And so, this is another pharmacy initiative where consumers can download the Vivid Clear Rx app and then they can save money on their prescription drugs all throughout the nation.

And so, this is a really great program that anybody can download and use. And so, we nationally promote that story as well.

Bruce Martin:

And also, as far as Hy-Vee, are you able to ship groceries and other items, nonperishable of course, or even with frozen to other parts of the country that don't have Hy-Vee stores?

Anna Stoermer:

Yep. So, we do have an option for that. It's called WholeLotta Good. So, it's focused primarily on our private brand products and our health foods. And so, we can ship that anywhere today within the 48 states in the Midwest, or sorry, in the nation.

And it's a really great program for our private label products because if you, let's say winter in Florida, but you live in Iowa most of the time we can ship you some of your favorite things.

And those products are also, available online. So, you can just order them right to your front door, no matter where you live.

Bruce Martin:

The other interesting thing that I think of the relationship between Hy-Vee and IndyCar is you walk into any Hy-Vee store, and you'll see IndyCar displays, and that really shows a lot of the activation that the company has done with IndyCar.

From what I've been told, those displays are pretty much up most of the year.

Anna Stoermer:

Yeah. So, we put those up at the start of the season and we take them down at the end of the season. And so, it's a really great thing for us because Hy-Vee, we typically win when we have something to rally around and something to promote.

And so, if we can give everybody a North Star to follow, they'll go all in on it. And this is where it really becomes important for our supplier partners.

So, we have picked IndyCar to be the thing that we activate our stores around for six months from March until September. So, as a supplier partner at Hy-Vee, if you get engaged with our IndyCar program, you're going to be activated with your brand within our stores for that entire timeframe as well.

And so, it's a really fun thing to see the stores and what they can come up with to promote IndyCar within our buildings. And then our supplier partners bring a whole new set of ideas for us as well. So, it's been a really fun activation plan for our retail locations.

Bruce Martin:

But a lot of other sports we’ll see the Hy-Vee logo. What are some of the other sports properties that Hy-Vee supports?

Anna Stoermer:

Yeah, so, we love the NFL. We have a great relationship with Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, the Green Bay Packers. We support just over 35 collegiate locations as well within our eight-state trade area.

And then we do a lot, we do some NIL deals. And so, we had Caitlin Clark this year. She's the Iowa women's basketball player, had a fantastic run during the Women's National Championship. And so, she's been a great advocate for Hy-Vee.

And then we have McKenna Haase. She is a dirt track racer female that's born from Iowa, lives in Indiana now that we support.

And we have Jaxon Porter, our go kart driver from Scottsdale, Arizona. And so, we have him out there nationally telling our story as well.

Bruce Martin:

And how valuable is it to get involved with a sports property to help sell your brand?

Anna Stoermer:

It's really important. And I think one of our best examples outside of the Iowa Speedway for this is the Kansas City Chiefs.

And so, when you think about the Arrowhead Stadium and you walk in and you see the Hy-Vee logo all over, and then we have 20 Hy-Vee retail stores within a stone's throw of that stadium, it really helps associate a Chief's fan with the Hy-Vee brand.

So, the minute they interact with the Chiefs, they interact with Hy-Vee, that in turn drives a lot of really great brand awareness back to our retail stores and results in sales.

Bruce Martin:

Now, moving back to auto racing, the fact that you're going to open a store in the Indianapolis area, I believe it's going to be in Zionsville, Indiana. And also, you're going to open some stores in Louisville, and in Nashville, and also, in Birmingham.

Louisville pretty close to Indianapolis, not far from Nashville. Nashville has an IndyCar race, and Birmingham also, has an IndyCar race.

So, to be able to get involved in those markets that have IndyCar races, do you see that as a way to broaden the footprint of Hy-Vee?

Anna Stoermer:

Absolutely. So, for Indianapolis specifically, we had a big activation space at the Indy 500 this year. We had a big Gatorade truck, we hand out free Gatorade all weekend, scan the code, go to hyvee.com and check us out.

And so, that was a really great tool for us to use. As all of those fans were pouring into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, they interacted with the Hy-Vee brand, they met the Hy-Vee employees, and we were there talking about the Rahal Letterman Landing and race team at the same time.

And so, we try to activate in Indianapolis and in Nashville because we will be there soon with our retail locations. And so, we're hoping that this results in a lot of brand awareness before we ever open a store in those two markets specifically.

Bruce Martin:

Did you get a lot of positive response from fans that go in there because the moment one particular brand pretty much has monopolized the Indianapolis area, there's another brand from the Pittsburgh area that's moved in with a couple of stores, but for the most part that's Kroger territory.

Did you get a lot of comment from a lot of fans that are looking forward to being able to have an alternative?

Anna Stoermer:

Yeah, absolutely. So, we had a lot of people that were walking through saying, “Oh, I used to go to Hy-Vee when I was a kid,” or, “I love Hy-Vee. I'm from Chicago, but we used to shop at Hy-Vee when we lived in Illinois.”

So, there's a lot of people that walked by and they knew who we were, and they had a really great response to seeing our brand active at the Indy 500. And so, it was really fun to see customers that are from our trade area that had traveled into the Indy 500 that are just race fans, that love Hy-Vee.

And then it was really great to expand our brand to a lot of people in the Indianapolis area that had been going to the Indy 500 for years.

Bruce Martin:

And of course, the Indianapolis 500 is a great vehicle for corporate entertainment and to entertain sponsors and key vendors that are part of Hy-Vee. What did you do this year? Did you have a suite? How many people did you have in as your guest?

Anna Stoermer:

So, at the Indy 500 specifically, we were actually guests of the Rahal Letterman Lanigan race team, but we did take a good portion of our executive committee with us out there for the race.

And so, we went out for the weekend. We spent a lot of time with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, and it was really great to be there to support them and make a lot of connections with their sponsor partners that weekend.

Bruce Martin:

So, in addition to sponsoring the race at Iowa Speedway and also, your involvement with IndyCar, how valuable is it to be sponsoring an IndyCar team at Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, and how valuable is it to be the full sponsor of the No. 45 Hy-Vee car?

Anna Stoermer:

Yeah. So, the car for us is just this strategy. One, it's a strategy that our retail stores can activate around from a merchandise perspective. But then secondly, it's a strategy for us to get the Hy-Vee brand out nationally.

And so, it's very valuable for us to be running in the Rahal Letterman Lanigan No. 45 car because every week on that broadcast that goes out nationally, people get to learn about Hy-Vee, they get to learn about our national initiatives with RedBox Rx, and Vivid Clear Rx, and WholeLotta Good, and it's just a really strong tool for us.

Being a Midwest major retailer, we don't go on national television very often. And so, this gives us a really great opportunity to be out there every week that there's an IndyCar race, getting to those national players who are interacting with our brand week over week and really understanding who we are.

Bruce Martin:

Last year, you had driver Jack Harvey as the face of Hy-Vee. This year, it's Christian Lundgaard, very young driver from Denmark. What's it like to be able to work with those two drivers who help meet fans, meet customers, and be the face of Hy-Vee's IndyCar effort?

Anna Stoermer:

Honestly, they're both just two stand up young gentlemen. We love having them represent our brand. They're very different in their own right, but both of them have been really great to Hy-Vee.

And so, Jack, we did a really great TV series with him last year, where we put him out on national TV with the No. 45 car helping promote our brand with You Don't Know Jack.

And then this year, with Christian, he's done a really fun Gatorade social media campaign for us. And so, his driver's suit actually changes colors from week to week. That gives us the ability to go out and create a social media teaser saying, “Hey, guess what color suit Christian is wearing this weekend?”

And then we can tie that Gatorade back to our retail locations. And so, we can activate that color of Gatorade and we can build displays with Gatorade and really activate around IndyCar every weekend that there's a race.

So, both of those guys have done a great job helping us with our supplier partners and then helping us with our own Hy-Vee brand, and we're very proud to have them represent us.

Bruce Martin:

You also, have two of your vendors involved with the race sponsorship, Instacart on Saturday, and Gatorade on Sunday. How important was it for you to be able to have them involved as a presenting sponsor?

Anna Stoermer:

Yeah. So, PepsiCo under the Gatorade brand for this race has been a phenomenal partner of Hy-Vee for years and years. And so, they really have learned that when they partner with us on a promotion like IndyCar, it does a lot of great things for their sales as well as ours.

And so, they're one of the best partners in the industry. We love to sell their products in our stores. And an event like this really helps us partner together and talk about our brands together nationally, regionally, and right at the check stand.

With Instacart as well, so we are really we have two feet in the digital space. And so, I don't know that people always associate a retail grocery store with digital and technology.

And so, Instacart's been a really great partner that helps us transform our aisles online e-commerce business from a delivery perspective. And we really appreciate their partnership as well to make this event happen.

Bruce Martin:

And the other thing about having them involved is the fact that they're consumer brands. One is a consumer delivery service, and the fact is you can get pretty much whatever you want from a Hy-Vee delivered to the house.

You see all the red cars driving around Des Moines and in the Iowa area that do the deliveries. So, in a lot of ways Hy-Vee was an innovator of that delivery concept. How important was that?

Anna Stoermer:

Where that really became important was during COVID. And so, we actually launched several years before COVID with our Aisles Online program, which is the grocery delivery right to your front step. And during COVID it really helped our communities tremendously.

And so, there were people that for two straight years, they relied on us to bring them their groceries or to bring them anything that they needed. And it made a huge impact on our business, but more importantly, we really were able to step up and serve our communities in a time of need.

Bruce Martin:

For a lot of people who may not have Hy-Vee stores in their area, one of the things that strikes me is when you walk in a Hy-Vee is the cleanliness, the selection, and the quality of the products. Those all seem to be the hallmark of your brand. How did that all start?

Because you offer the meat selection is phenomenal and you have brands that probably can't find a lot of other stores. And also, you have Wahlburgers in many of your stores. You now, have a Hy-Chi! for Chinese food in the stores.

If you could talk about some of those innovative concepts that sets Hy-Vee apart.

Anna Stoermer:

Yeah. So, the key there is we really study customer lifestyles. So, our core, the base of our business is always about the customer. So, it's what does the customer want, what does the customer need, and when do they want it?

And so, we've designed our entire company for years and years to always center around that customer. So, a lot of this innovation comes from studying where the customer's at today, where the customer is going, and what that next generation is going to be looking for.

And so, a long time ago, credit to our chairman of the board, Randy Edeker, he started studying millennials before millennial even had a buying power.

And so, then we came up with all of this innovation, whether it be an extreme meat case that has every cut of meat that you could ever imagine, very high quality. Or culinary experience with our chef program that we have in stores or putting Wahlburgers into our retail locations.

We just have always been a step ahead of where the consumer is going. So, we study what they're looking for, we take risk, we innovate, we build those into our retail locations and it really serves our consumer well.

Bruce Martin:

You brought up the name Randy Edeker and the IndyCar Race weekend is really his inspiration and he's really the driving force behind it.

Having spoken with the man several times, he's a very inspirational guy and the fact is he knows the grocery business probably better than anybody in this country.

To be able to have him as the leader of the Hy-Vee brand, especially for the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa, just how do you see the importance of him being able to lead the troops to achieve something that a lot of people probably didn't think could happen?

Anna Stoermer:

Yeah. So, the best thing about his leadership style when it comes to something specifically like an IndyCar race is he throws out really big ideas. And at the same time that he throws out a really big idea, he also, gives you the confidence to go out and to accomplish it.

And so, we dreamed up things at this Hy-Vee IndyCar weekend. One of them being putting a portable stage in the middle of a racetrack to have an entertainer like Ed Sheeran come out to it.

It is just one of those off the wall ideas that you kind of see it happen and you're like, “Huh, I wonder who thought of that,” because it really turns out to be amazing.

And so, he's always been really good at dreaming. He's always been really good at pushing the teams and pushing his people to accomplish something that otherwise wouldn't have happened.

And so, it's fun to see him dream. It's even more fun to help him execute his dreams.

Bruce Martin:

And also, the fact that you're able to bring two divergent types of crowds together. There's going to be IndyCar fans that have never seen Ed Sheeran, there's going to be Ed Sheeran fans who've never seen an IndyCar race.

You're also, going to have Carrie Underwood, you're going to have Kenny Chesney, you're going to have Zac Brown fans.

To be able to bring people to something and expose them to something they're not familiar with, vice versa, how important is that and how much do you see that as helping build the audience from each side?

Anna Stoermer:

Yeah. So, for us, it's important because we're trying to create a destination weekend in the middle of Iowa. And so, it's important for us, because all we want to do is drive people to our state.

But we also, feel like this is hugely important to IndyCar because what we would love to do is help them grow their sport with this event.

And so, we focused a lot on who's the entertainer that drives the core demographic of IndyCar, and then who's the entertainer that's going to really stretch the core demographic of IndyCar and maybe expose an entire new group of people to the sport.

So, we had this last year, with our Inaugural Race and Entertainment Weekend where we brought so many people for the concerts and had never seen an IndyCar race. And then they continued to watch IndyCar week after week after they experienced it in Iowa.

So, that's really what we're after. We're after driving people to our state, and then we're after helping IndyCar grow their demographics.

Bruce Martin:

Now, to be able to get four of the top names in entertainment like you have, obviously, that comes at a price. So, how do you make the dollars work?

Anna Stoermer:

And that's where our sponsor partners become really important. And so, we are very thankful for people like PepsiCo and for Instacart and because a lot of those sponsorship dollars help go make this event possible with those entertainment partners.

Bruce Martin:

And when you look at IndyCar, there were 330,000 people at this year's Indianapolis 500, the ratings were up, it seems like IndyCar is trending upward. And what is it about IndyCar that really gets you excited?

Anna Stoermer:

One, is it initially started because Iowa has a really big fan base for open wheel racing. And so, that was really what kind of had us pique our interest into IndyCar itself. The racing is pure. We think it's really exciting to watch. There's not a sure winner every week. And so, that's exciting to watch as a race fan.

And then really it was about the locations that they race in. And so, we had plans to grow to some of the markets that they are continuously racing in. And so, you saw us partner with the Nashville Race as a sponsor of that event as well because we have plans to go to Nashville.

And so, for us, demographically and geographically, the sport really makes sense. It resonates with our consumer base, it resonates with our employees, and it helps us grow our brand in areas where it makes sense too.

Bruce Martin:

And also, you support the television package on NBC. So, a lot of the races, there'll be Hy-Vee signage, there'll be Hy-Vee branding, Hy-Vee commercials even. So, how important is that when you're getting the name out there on a national basis?

Anna Stoermer:

Yeah, so, it's super important. So, this year, we're using the Corvette giveaway as a way for people to really associate and interact with our brand. And so, we're giving away four 2023 brand new Corvettes this year on national NBC from week to week.

And it's really exciting to see who puts their name in to win this car. And then once they put their name in the hat to win the Corvette, it gives us the opportunity to connect with them as a consumer.

And so, like we've mentioned, that we have national stories that we can tell with our brand. And so, if they live in Florida, we have something that we can talk to them about as Hy-Vee. And if they live in our trade area, we can now, market to those people as well.

So, that brand relationship that we're building with them through that Corvette giveaway is hugely important.

Bruce Martin:

And in the future, could you even see your involvement with IndyCar increase?

Anna Stoermer:

Yeah, I think that it will. So, every year, it seems like we add something. So, last year, we put in for the Nashville race, we were sponsored there this year. We used our Vivid Clear Rx brand at the Detroit Grand Prix.

And so, we really expanded what we're doing in Detroit and that was a great experience for us there as well.

So, the Penske Entertainment people, they're just really great people. We want to see them succeed and so, we'll continue to support them within our eight states and wherever they ask for our help.

Bruce Martin:

Anna Stoermer, the executive vice president, chief marketing officer at Hy-Vee, good luck with this year's Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend, and thank you for joining us on Pit Pass Indy presented by Hy-Vee, where there's a helpful smile in every aisle.

Anna Stoermer:

Thank you, Bruce. I really appreciate your time today.

[Music Playing]

Bruce Martin:

And that puts a checkered flag on this edition of Pit Pass Indy presented by Hy-Vee.

We want to thank our guests, Honda Indy Toronto winner and driver of the No. 45 Hy-Vee Honda, Christian Lundgaard of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. Hy-Vee chairman of the board, Randy Edeker. And Hy-Vee executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Anna Stoermer for joining us on today's podcast.

Along with loyal listeners like you, our guests help make Pit Pass Indy presented by Hy-Vee, your path to victory lane for all things IndyCar.

And because of our guests and listeners, Pit Pass Indy presented by Hy-Vee is proud to be the winner of The Best Podcast by the National Motorsports Press Association.

And for all your shopping needs, be sure to visit your local Hy-Vee, where there's a helpful smile in every aisle.

For more IndyCar coverage, follow me at Twitter @Bruce Martin (one-word, uppercase B, uppercase M) _500.

This has been a production of Evergreen Podcasts. A special thanks to our production team. Executive producers are Brigid Coyne and Gerardo Orlando. Recordings and edits were done by me, Bruce Martin, and final mixing was done by Dave Douglas. Learn more at evergreenpodcasts.com.

Until next time, be sure to keep it out of the wall.