Paint Jobs Don’t Win Car Races
About this episode
The episode discusses the importance of prioritizing essential improvements over superficial enhancements in business and racing.
Road Atlanta is a famous roadracing track 800 miles from Tulsa, Oklahoma, a grueling trip to make in the back seat of a 1972 BMW 2002. Tony and Indy ride in the front seats. Pennie and I ride in the back. We stop only for gas. Arriving in pre-dawn Atlanta, we get a few hours sleep, then go down to the track where 67 racecars are parked in the dim sunlight of a misty morning. We are invited to examine all 67 of the racecars. At the end of 40 minutes, Tony points to car number 52, a 1978 Buick Skyhawk. He says, “Unless the driver sticks it into the wall or the engine explodes, that’s the car that will win.” I looked at number 52, then glanced around at all the other cars and said, “Why?” Tony said, “That’s a ten-thousand-dollar paint job, and paint jobs don’t win races.” “You’re telling me that the owner is an idiot. So why do you think his car will win?” Tony slowly shook his head, then said, “The fact that he spent $10,000 on a paint job lets me know that he spared no expense doing everything that matters. This guy did hundreds of important things to this car before he gave a single thought to the paint job. This paint job was the very last thing he did.” When I understood what…
More episodes of Wizard of Ads Monday Morning Memo
- What the Bible Teaches About Advertising
- Elon Musk Wants to Sell Me a Tire
- Business Boundaries and Walls
- Predictable is Invisible
- Writing Great Ads is a 10-Step Dance
- Make More Money by Reducing the Friction
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Wizard of Ads Monday Morning Memo podcast page.