Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Art Rymer. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Art, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I’ve been a participant in the world of sim racing since the 1990s, and it’s always been a hobby that I enjoyed. I signed up for iRacing in 2014, and I’ve been on that platform ever since.

iRacing bills itself as the most realistic racing sim. You can race various stock cars, Indycars, GTs, etc. against people from all over the world.

During the COVID-19 pandemic and the shutdowns that accompanied it early on in the spring of 2020, real-world racing series like NASCAR, Indycar, and IMSA turned to iRacing to keep drivers and audiences engaged. Who would have thought over 1 million people would tune in to FOX on a Sunday afternoon to watch real-world NASCAR drivers race on iRacing?

As an offshoot of that growth, there were numerous special events that casuals like myself could compete against real-world and virtual pros, with cash and prizes paid out. With decent audience exposure on platforms like YouTube and Twitch, there’s a perfect opportunity for companies to get involved without the huge cash outlay that a real-world racing team would ask sponsors for. Because of that, you can hyper-focus on local companies that are looking for regional/national exposure at a lower cost, and you can even build an audience from your community.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Art Rymer, and I’m the owner of AR AutoSport, a Chattanooga-based eSports organization that competes in the world of sim racing on the iRacing platform.

I formed AR AutoSport in 2023, and we’ve grown to be a viable platform. We’ve been able to build a program to where we can run at the front of whatever races we run, thanks to help of a group of loyal, supportive, local sponsors.

My goal is to provide opportunities for local businesses, some with regional/national aspirations, to advertise their brand to their target markets at a reasonable cost.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Networking has served us well; but believe it or not, sometimes taking a chance and cold-calling/emailing has served us very, very well!

Here’s an anecdote: I moved to Chattanooga in 2022. One of the things that really stood out is the presence of hemp stores. I had heard ads for Snapdragon Hemp on the traffic reports on one of the local TV stations, and figured I’d try their edibles out. I liked what they have, and I’ve been a loyal customer since.

In 2023, I sent a cold e-mail to Alec Wright, who is pretty much a “jack-of-all-trades” on their technology side (as well as other things) about sponsorship for the Firecracker 400 – an event that paid homage to 1980s NASCAR stock car racing on July 4th weekend at Daytona, promoted by NASCAR drivers Parker Kligerman and Landon Cassill. I was just asking for a small amount of store credit in exchange for putting their name on the car; I ended up with a much larger agreement. I do get paid based on how much business I can drive to Snapdragon, but the sim racing audience has been very supportive. Snapdragon has also been supportive, willing to help with promotion and social media.

For a cold e-mail, it sure turned out to be very hot!

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

Our social media channels have been a big help, especially our Instagram.

I post highlight clips from the events we compete in, and provide followers with the information they need to tune in and watch. Even when we’re not racing, I’ll share news of what our sponsors have going on.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialarautosport/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialARAutoSport/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthurrymer/
• Other: BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/arautosport.artrymer.com