0:00 / 0:00

The Celebration Capital Playbook For Car Clubs And City Partners

In Wheel Time Podcast: Your Go-To Automotive Talk Show Jun 19, 2026 27 min

0:00

About this episode

Hosts share how they met in Midland, Texas, then connect local car culture to city branding and tourism strategy. They explain how a Texas community designation works and how one city became the “celebration capital of Texas” in 2023 through legislative approval. The conversation moves to practical club playbooks: weekly meetups like “Rise and Grind,” adapting during COVID, and building relationships with CVBs/chambers to promote events. They also discuss event funding via hotel occupancy tax and share a few racing-history highlights.

Topics: 24 Hours of Le Mans disc brakes pad brakes

Granbury doesn’t just “host” events, it builds a home for them. Recording live from Hewlett Park during the Lone Star Street Rod Association State Run, we talk with Tammy Dooley from Visit Granbury about what it really takes to make a car weekend feel legendary for participants and profitable for local businesses.

Tammy walks us through how Granbury earned its official identity as the Celebration Capital of Texas, including the community process and the Texas legislative steps it took to claim a moniker that fits year-round. If you care about destination marketing, place branding, or event tourism, you’ll hear why a clear identity helps everyone, from organizers and restaurants to first-time visitors looking for their next weekend trip.

Then we get practical for car clubs and promoters who want to grow: how to find a city that truly wants your event, how to work with a convention and visitors bureau (CVB) or tourism department, and what “support” can look like beyond money, including park access, logistics help, hotel partnerships, advertising, swag, and protected dates. We also dig into Granbury’s weekly Rise and Grind meetup, a simple communications play that keeps locals informed and businesses engaged.

We close with the numbers behind the strategy, including tourism budget basics like hotel occupancy tax and how Granbury talks about ROI in a way residents understand. Subscribe for more car culture and real-world event advice, share this with your club, and leave a review with the best tip you’ve learned from hosting a show.

Be sure to subscribe for more In Wheel Time Car Talk!

The Lupe' Tortilla Restaurants
Lupe Tortilla in Katy, Texas

Gulf Coast Auto Shield
Paint protection, tint, and more!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

---- -----
Want more In Wheel Time car talk any time?

In Wheel Time is now available on Audacy!

Just go to Audacy.com/InWheelTime where ever you are.
----- -----
Be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast provider for the next episode of In Wheel Time Podcast and check out our live multiplatform broadcast every Saturday, 10a - 12nCT simulcasting on Audacy, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Twitch and InWheelTime.com.

In Wheel Time Podcast can be heard on you mobile device from providers such as:

Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music Podcast, Spotify, SiriusXM Podcast, iHeartRadio podcast, TuneIn + Alexa, Podcast Addict, Castro, Castbox, YouTube Podcast and more on your mobile device.

Follow InWheelTime.com for the latest updates!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/InWheelTime

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inwheeltime/

https://www.youtube.com/inwheeltime

https://www.Facebook.com/InWheelTime

For more information about In Wheel Time Podcast, email us at

[email protected]

Filter:

Technical Too Afraid to Ask

Term

disc brakes

"Jaguarwasrunninginthe21straceofanuhLeMans,24hoursofLeMans,anditwastheirdiscbrakes,andthefacttheydidn'thavetostoptochangethebrakesiswhatletthemwin. Cool."

Disc brakes are a braking system where pads squeeze a metal disc to slow the car down. In long races, they can keep braking more consistently than older designs.

Topic

24 Hours of Le Mans

"Jaguarwasrunninginthe21straceofanuhLeMans,24hoursofLeMans,anditwastheirdiscbrakes,andthefacttheydidn'thavetostoptochangethebrakesiswhatletthemwin."

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is a race where cars have to keep going for a whole day. Brakes have to last a long time, so better braking tech can help teams win.

Term

pad brakes

"No,right,becausethediscbrakesliketheycouldgolongerthanthepadbrakesthateverybodyelsewasusing. Youknow,Iknowsomebodythat'sgotbrakeproblemsrightnow,andthey'veonlygot30,000milesonthecar."

Here, “pad brakes” means brakes where the friction material wears down as you use them. The point being made is that this kind of setup required more frequent brake changes than the disc-brake approach.

Request an Explanation

Heard something you'd like explained? We'll add it to this episode.

Want to learn more?

Browse our glossary for plain-English explanations of automotive terms, jargon, and concepts.

Explore Terms

Help improve this episode

See something that's not quite right? Our annotations are AI-generated and can sometimes miss the mark. Click the flag icon on any annotation to suggest a correction.

Report incorrect info

Suggest better explanations

Flag missing cars