Sharing the knowledge and passion for barbecue

Smokin’ At The Track BBQ was born of an idea that Michael Mixon and Rodney Renner had about two years ago of combining their love of barbecue, cooking and racing into something racing fans could learn and enjoy.

“We were at Talladega one weekend sitting on top of our RV with the smoke rising all around and we thought our love of barbecue, our love of cooking, our love of racing – we’ve got to find something that puts all this together,” Renner said. “Well, the next day after the fog cleared we said, ‘What was that idea we had?’”

Renner ran the idea by some NASCAR contacts he had, and they set up a meeting with Speedway Motorsports Inc. at their corporate offices above turn four at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

“They thought this idea might have some legs to it, and they kind of set us on the path of furthering this along,” he continued. “And Michael and his family have a relationship with Freedom Trailers, and we talked to them about sponsorship.

The pair got their first cook rig and additional sponsorships like Bison Airlighter and Guru and Bub ba-Q, and they have been growing it from there.

Mixon’s father was another key factor in getting off the ground.

“My father on his end brings a lot of star power on the barbecue side, so bringing him into the equation, on top of the resources and the skill sets and the following behind that, and the same demographic as NASCAR, there’s a parallel there and we saw that and we needed something to sum it up,” Mixon said.

Renner picks up the thread. “And so we brought up a package together – our family legacy, what we do in barbecue to the entertainment and the NASCAR connection, brought it all together. I mean it started with Mike and me and there are all these people with their gifts, their determination, their passion – it was cool to see it all come together in one package.”

Mixon’s father is Myron Mixon, barbecue pit master, pit star, winningest man in competitive barbecue. On planet Earth. And he’ll let you know it.

The concept has evolved from what the pair envisioned, with how to get fans involved with competition and things associated with that.

“What the tracks want to see and what we want to give them is a way or a method to advertise an additional entertainment and a reason to come to the track,” said Mixon. “I was in a meeting this morning with the speedway – they called it a fan council, first one they’ve ever had here in Atlanta – and they’re trying to figure out what can they do to improve the fan experience.”

Smokin’ At The Track is designed to enhance the fan experience at the racetrack, be it NASCAR, Formula 1 or NHRA, any kind of racetrack.

“Motorsports are motorsports, and gearheads are gearheads, and the common thing is they love fuel and food,” said Renner. “And in the food group it’s beer and barbecue. I mean, it’s the F’s and the B’s; that’s what they’re into.”

Mixon and Renner want to bring that together as a way of saying, “Here’s a way to come out.”

Many people can be intimidated when it comes to grilling and barbecuing, using big fires, big cuts of meat, lots of spices, and so on.

“What we can do is show them, ‘look, here’s a way to make this simple, because it’s not intimidating if you know what you’re doing, and it can be a lot of fun,’” Mixon said.

One of the strategies they use is to hold demonstrations where people come up and work on the rig, or they will tell them to go to the store, buy whatever they want and bring it back.

“We’ll prep it with you and show you how to cook it, or we’ll cook it for you, and you take it back to all your fans or buddies at your RV site and eat it and enjoy it,” Renner said.

“We cooked a brisket for a fan last night. He comes up and says, ‘You know I’m having trouble, I can’t get this up to temp.’ We tell him, ‘This is the problem. It’s kind of cold outside and you’re going to struggle with this equipment. Just bring it here and we’ll finish up doctoring this thing for you.’ Well, he showed up last night and was so appreciative; he opened it up and said that it smelled great and off he went. Now that ‘s a great, great story because it’s all about giving back to the fans.”

That giving is a key point in the setup, the men said.

“Yeah, giving back to them. Entering our rib contests is free. The demonstrations are free. We don’t want to charge for that; we want to share the knowledge and passion of barbecue. That would be my legacy in life, to share with these fans,” Renner said.

Race fans are proud fans, and they want to be the very best at everything they do, he said.

“Everybody out here has got the best barbecue. Everybody. But they can come out here and be educated and take that knowledge back to the RV with them. That’s the beauty of it,” he said.

“It’s more than just handouts, more than just T-shirts. Here at Smokin’ At The Track we want you to go home with something. It’s an experience, something you take back or take from track to track. We want them to try to find us at the tracks. It’s a lifetime takeaway,” said Mixon.

The pair’s first event was at Charlotte on a rainy weekend, he said. The weather didn’t just cooperate or anything like that.

“The fans would come up and climb on the cook rig, and we had people come up to us and say it was the best experience they ever had at a racetrack,” he said. “They’ll never remember who won the race but they’ll never forget that experience. And some people said it made their weekend.”

The fans were there for a race, but what they did with us was better than why they were there in the first place, said Renner. “And that’s an impact statement, there.”

In the nearly two years they have managed to gather some diehard fans, such as Kevin Cofiell who posts something nearly every week.

Basically since October we’ve gone from zero to more than 3,000 likes on Facebook, said Renner.

“We’ve been to Homestead, Charlotte and Atlanta racetracks. It’s up in the air right now which one will be next but there are a lot of opportunities,” he continued.

Fans can track the pair’s activities via Facebook and Twitter, and their Web site smokinatthetrack.com should be up shortly, he added.

They haven’t forgotten where they started.

“We want our fans to know that we appreciate them and damn sure love them,” said Mixon. “And there’s something about barbecue that’s uniquely American; it’s the one sure genre we got left. When it comes to grilling or smoking, this is ours.”

They also have an appreciation for NASCAR fans.

“Our NASCAR fans are very traditional and we are driven by tradition – the Earnhardts, the Pettys and all that – and we’re out here fixing slices of meat and it takes the fans back to when they were kids,” Mixon said. “These guys start telling stories about their sauces and it’s all starting with a flavor, vinegar or whatever. Just keep following your sports and fixing your barbecue. For us, it’s a family tradition: Jack, Jack Jr., Myron and me. And I want people to share this, be kings of the cul-de-sac and don’t be so secretive about what you’re fixing.”

Renner said it’s a lot about the racing.

“I’ve been going to them ever since I was a kid in St. Louis. And every year it was either go to Atlanta or next year Talladega, but every May we went to Indy for race week, the time trials and the qualifying. Always been around racing and that aspect of it. So that’s where my passion comes from,” he said.

It’s a family affair, of course.

“First with my mom and dad, then with my uncle and aunt and cousins in a conversion van which was all the rage in the 70s and 80s. So we would pull up to the track, it was $20 for everyone in your van, drive in, pick your piece of land, pull out the grills and the coolers and have your weekend. I always go back to that passion that I’ve had ever since I was a kid.”

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