Plymouth native Seth Kimberlin is living the NASCAR dream

• Graduated from Plymouth in 2009
• Graduated from Defiance College with a degree in Sports Marketing and Business
• Took an internship at Kentucky Speedway where he fell in love with the sport
• Currently works for GMR Marketing as part of the Comcast Team, the rights owner of NASCAR Xfinity

MILWAUKEE - Growing up in Plymouth, Ohio, Seth Kimberlin wasn't the biggest NASCAR fan.

He was more into football. As a kid, he didn't really have the attention span or the understanding of NASCAR. But he loved sports and knew he wanted to make them part of his career.

"My father, Melvin Kimberlin, was an avid NASCAR fan throughout my entire childhood, but I would not have considered myself a fan of the sport at the time," Kimberlin said. "I started as a Jeff Gordon fan, but never actually sat down and watched an entire race."

Kimberlin was more into football — he played for Plymouth from fifth grade through high school. He loved the sport so much, he knew he wanted to play in college and he knew his career path. So he worked with his high school football coach, current Big Red coach Mark Genders, to find a college that fit his desire to continue his athletic career as well as the career path he wanted to take. He found a home at Defiance College after graduating from Plymouth in 2009 and played college football for four years, majoring in sports marketing and business.

"I always knew I wanted my career to involve sports to come extent," Kimberlin said. "After working towards my degree, I fell in love with the in-depth knowledge of the sports world."

From football to NASCAR

Being a football guy, he always thought his career would take him into the sport. It wasn't until he took a summer internship at Kentucky Speedway that he found a deep passion for motorsports. He worked at the track for three years in a variety of different positions from ticket sales to selling  race entitlements to working with high-level clientele to activate their partnerships onsite. Since that internship, Kimberlin has been active at more than 100 NASCAR races.

"Once I started working behind the scenes at the track and saw what it took to put on an event of this magnitude, I was hooked," Kimberlin said. "I would encourage everyone to take a weekend and experience a NASCAR race in person, as it will completely grow on you."

After his three-year stint, Kimberlin felt the need to expand and grow his career. That is when he found a position with GMR Marketing in Milwaukee in 2016 on the Comcast team. 

While he works for a large portfolio of clients all over the world, Kimberlin's main client is Comcast, which owns the naming rights for the NASCAR Xfinity series that makes stops at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in August every year. 

"My team and I work alongside Comcast to strategize, plan and activate inside the NASCAR space — meaning we continue to find innovative ways to grow the Comcast brand through awareness and activation opportunities," Kimberlin said.

Kimberlin is an instrumental part of overseeing Comcast's Xfinity Series driver integration, track hospitality and major events. 

"One of the pillars of their sponsorship I really enjoy working on is the Comcast Community Champion of the Year award," Kimberlin said. "This identifies people within the NASCAR community who are doing charitable work in their local area. All of the finalists receive a donation for their charity."

GMR designed a Comcast fan experience called the "Xfinity Zone" which travels around to more than a dozen races a year allowing fans to play games, win prizes and meet drivers all while learning about the Xfinity brand. Kimberlin gets to be a part of it all.

"It really is an amazing experience," He said.

Perks of the job

His job in general is an amazing experience. As a fan of Jeff Gordon as a child, Kimberlin actually met his favorite driver, but it wasn't exactly how he envisioned the interaction going. A newbie in the NASCAR world, Kimberlin was walking around the garage area taking photos for various social media sites. As he was walking, he turned to look behind him and before he knew it, he bumped into a person. It happened to be Jeff Gordon.

"I looked down and it was Jeff Gordon, running his last Daytona 500 race prior to retirement," Kimberlin said. "I was shocked and apologized but then was immediately pushed out of the way by a mob of fans looking for his autograph. So I can officially say that I almost pushed Jeff Gordon down, but this was probably the coolest, yet one of the most embarrassing moments of my life."

Kimberlin makes a living getting to interact with professional race car drivers. He admits everyone on the Xfinity Series is outgoing and are all working to make a name for themselves. 

"They are all working hard to become that next-tier driver in the sport and to make a name for themselves, hence our series tagline of “Names Are Made Here.” It has been a pleasure working with all of them," Kimberlin added.

"One driver that I think really stands out from a personality standpoint is Clint Bowyer. He is absolutely hilarious and has a really down-to-earth personality, but will tell you exactly what is on his mind. He is always a fun person to be around and work with."

While his job is fun, Kimberlin is focused on growing the sport and reaching a younger generation. The main topic of NASCAR recently has been the decline in viewership. Kimberlin admits that trend can be said for most sporting properties in America, but NASCAR remains strong thanks to sponsorship and the marketing of the sport.

"Major Fortune 500 Companies still invest," Kimberlin said. "Monster Energy, Microsoft  and Busch Beer just to name a few. Through these partnerships, NASCAR allows for opportunities for a broad reach of various demographics that surround the sport."

"With these major partners, NASCAR is continuing to grow their demographic with the younger generation. By bringing in Monster Energy and technology brands such as Comcast and Microsoft; NASCAR is making the sport more innovative, with various outlets for viewing and obtaining information and making the onsite experience one to not forget. The sport is still going strong through their reach."

Kimberlin gets to be a part of it all. Truly living the NASCAR dream.

jfurr@gannett.com

740-244-9934

Twitter: @JakeFurr11