Overlap of customers, race fans drew Suburban Propane to Bristol

BRISTOL, Tenn. — There is certainly a lot of pressure that comes with being the CEO of a company that employs 3,300 full-time workers and operates in 42 states. Michael Stivala experiences that every day while running Suburban Propane, a company headquartered in New Jersey with a history that goes back nearly 100 years. On Saturday night, Stivala experienced a different kind of pressure as he stared into the lens of a television camera with a producer counting him down. Stivala was at Bristol Motor Speedway with several members of his team as Suburban Propane sponsored its first NASCAR race, the Suburban Propane 300. As the race sponsor, Stivala had the honor of delivering the most famous words in motorsports live to a national television audience. When he got the cue, Stivala didn't miss a beat. "Drivers, start your engines," Stivala said, punctuating the command with a fist in the air. "That was cool," Stivala said while standing in victory lane following the race, which was won by Connor Zilisch. "That will be a memorable moment for sure. I already got a few texts from my friends." A Burgeoning Partnership There is a longstanding maxim at Suburban Propane: "If there is a need, figure out a way to fill it." When NASCAR reached out prior to the 2025 season looking for a propane supplier for their Air Titan track dryers, Stivala saw a lot of other needs he believed Suburban could fill. In many ways, NASCAR and its fans run on propane during race weekends. It's used in concession stands, for generators, portable heaters, and the campers who come to the track rely on the fuel extensively. "We talked to them and said let's talk about all your propane needs, and they didn't even realize all the areas they were using propane," Stivala said as he started his day in Bristol at the portable filling station Suburban had set up for campers who needed to be topped off. Once NASCAR realized the key role propane played for the organization and the fans on a typical race weekend, a deal was drawn up to make Suburban the official propane of NASCAR starting with the 2025 season. As Stivala moved from the portable filling station to the campground to meet some race fans, it was clear that he was also talking to potential customers. Stivala met five friends from the Carolinas who were hanging out in front of their RV on Saturday afternoon. They showed him what they were cooking on their propane-powered grill and chatted about how they get together to go to one race each year, and after years of going to Talladega, this was their first race weekend at BMS. The overlap between NASCAR fans and propane consumers is what makes the partnership with NASCAR so valuable to Suburban. "The NASCAR fanbase is our customer base," Stivala said. "We're a very rural energy source, and our customers rely on us every day. They are the passionate fans that follow NASCAR." Taking the Next Step After a season as the official propane of NASCAR, Stivala was looking to intensify the existing relationship with NASCAR. With over 300,000 customers throughout the southeast, sponsoring a race in the region seemed to be a logical next step. When the opportunity to sponsor the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race at BMS during the spring race weekend came up, it was a natural fit. That fact that Suburban has a customer service location in Norton, Virginia, that serves over 10,000 customers in our region was another major consideration. "This is a great market for us," Stivala said. "When Speedway Motorsports approached us and said Bristol has an opportunity to really take on some naming entitlement, I jumped on it because it's been a great partnership with Speedway Motorsports and NASCAR. "We were looking for the right opportunity to get the sponsorship of a specific race, and I think this is the right track for us." Tangible evidence of ROI was on display when Stivala made his way to the infield to visit Cup Series driver Ross Chastain prior on Saturday afternoon. In addition to driving a race car, Chastain is an eighth-generation watermelon farmer in Florida. "Thanks for being a customer," Stivila said as he offered Chastain a hearty handshake. Chastain recently made the decision to use Suburban Propane at his farms in Florida, and he said that decision stemmed from seeing Suburban's signage at a racetrack last season. "We've always used propane at our packing houses to pack watermelons, but each shed just uses whoever they find or know in town," Chastain said. "I just wanted to bring it all into one company and work with somebody that can service us year-round. It all started here at the racetrack seeing the signs. I did some research and realized they were everywhere." The Sound and the Fury Stivila's day hit overdrive when the pre-race ceremony started. He had a good chat with BMS president and general manager Jerry Caldwell before hitting the stage to address the crowd. After giving the command, Stivala and his family gained a new appreciation for the track's steep concrete banks of BMS when they took a couple laps around the track in the pace car. "We were only going about 45 miles per hour, but I thought we were going to tip over," he said with a laugh. Stivala and his team took in the race from a suite on the frontstretch before being shuttled down to victory lane. Stivala presented the trophy to Zilisch as pyro went off and cameras flashed. The relationship with NASCAR has intensified very quickly, but Stivala came away from Saturday's race convinced the partnership is built to last. "Being a part of this sport is something incredible," he said. "You can see the passion of the fans, and you can see the drivers appreciate us being here. I don't know if there's any sport in America that truly appreciates the fans the way NASCAR does, and I felt that today."