NEW WEB SITE HONORS “THE FATHEAD GUY” FROM NEW NASCAR BOOK

Corinne Eckel of Pennsylvania was so moved by a NASCAR fan she recently befriended that she created a website for him. She now manages the site - thefatheadguy.yolasite.com - as a labor of love, including photos and news about her friend as well as a new book he’s featured in.

“I could be considered your average middle-aged woman who likes most sports,” Corinne said. “Yet, I never had a true favorite sport I followed regularly…until I met a really nice guy, Kenny Gregory, who quickly became a dear personal friend. Kenny introduced me to NASCAR and a wonderful new book about NASCAR fans, which led me to other fans. I was so inspired, I decided to create a website for friends, family and fans to follow my friend Kenny — the now famous “Fathead Guy” — as well as news about the book he’s featured in, “THE WEEKEND STARTS ON WEDNESDAY: True Stories of Remarkable NASCAR Fans” by Andrew Giangola.

Gregory, who is from Franklin, Pa. and attends up to 20 NASCAR races a year, takes his life-sized Fathead stickers (mounted on plywood) and sets up his starting grid in the campground at whatever race he happens to be attending. Fans from all over stop to chat and get their pictures taken with their favorite driver. Following Gregory’s inclusion in THE WEEKEND STARTS ON WEDNESDAY, he has been featured in several track souvenir guides and has made media appearances in Daytona, Tampa, Charlotte, and Erie, Pennsylvania. A taped ESPN segment will run later this season.

“As Kenny’s profile in NASCAR markets has grown, it’s been great for the website,” Corinne said. “I used a free website builder to create thefatheadguy.yolasite.com, where fans can check race results, track info, see photos taken at the race and link to various articles, podcasts and videos regarding the fans featured in Andrew’s book. The site is continually evolving and there’s usually something new every week.”

As a new NASCAR fan and fan website administrator, Corinne will be attending her first NASCAR race at Michigan Int’l Speedway this August.

“I’m definitely looking forward to spending time with The Fathead Guy ‘in his element’ at the racetrack and meeting fans from THE WEEKEND STARTS ON WEDNESDAY like Right Turn Ryan, Kevin Kent of Bob’s Party Bus, and Craig and Jackie Reda who have the number 3 carved from a tree stump and mounted on top of their yellow school bus. It’s been exciting to learn about the sport of NASCAR and meet the amazing fans who make up the so-called NASCAR Nation. I anticipate being at the track in Michigan is going to be an unforgettable weekend.”

Fans are encouraged to submit stories and photos to The Fathead Guy’s web site by visiting thefatheadguy.yolasite.com.