It’s the most famous words in motorsports. “Gentlemen, start your engines!” Not only does it command the drivers to power up their cars but should also fire up the crowd. Not every celebrity that does the honor (and it should be an honor) understands that the crowd is the key. Drew Carey showed how to do it perfectly on Sunday night (anyone have video?). He shouted, drew it out (no pun intended) for drama and was loud. Here’s a few quick do’s and don’ts on what makes a good call, along with some samples.
- Go for humor. In recent years comedians like Will Ferrell and Adam Sandler have used character voices to give the command. So what if they’re shamelessly promoting The Longest Yard? Funny always flies.
- Don’t act like you’d rather be somewhere else. Maybe your agent didn’t get you hooked up on the VMA’s, but there are still millions of people watching.
- Recruit a NASCAR legend. It’s tough to go wrong with someone like Richard Petty or Junior Johnson giving the command. This is the NASCAR equivalent to having a Hall of Famer throw out the first pitch.
- Exude power. A few years ago Matthew Mcconaughey gave the command at Daytona by reprising his Wooderson character from Dazed and Confused and shouted it with confidence. There is nothing wimpy about 800HP engines, so asking them to roar in a subdued voice just doesn’t work.
- It helps to pop a vein. Like Carey this past weekend, Kevin James looked like he might have hurt himself with his screaming version. It’s just a sport, have fun with it.
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