One NASCAR Driver’s Key to Success? Kindness

Greg Crumpton lives by a simple mantra: Relationships drive business. Each week on Straight Outta Crumpton, Crumpton dives into the lost art of networking and speaks with the biggest influencers in business services to learn how they build, nurture and value their professional relationships.

 

On this episode of Straight Outta Crumpton, Host Tyler Kern and Greg Crumpton talked with former NASCAR driver Ward Burton, who won the 2002 Daytona 500. He now operates the Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation, whose mission is to conserve America’s Land and Wildlife through wise stewardship. They talk about his foundation, NASCAR, and how kindness benefits everyone.

Greg grew up watching Ward, just as Ward was also growing up, as they are near the same age. As Ward progressed through his NASCAR career, or Phase One of his life, according to Crumpton, he noted that he always admired how Burton handled his sponsorships. While growing up in Atlanta, Greg attended some of Ward’s races. But, Crumpton noted that professional athlete aside, he always admired how Burton carried himself and how he was a nice guy.

“It is really easy to be kind and available if they want a story about you, versus being the other way, so I was never aloof on any of that.” – Ward Burton

“In business and in personal life, that goes so far,” Crumpton said. “How you treat your people: your interviewers and your co-competitors. You set a good bar for that.”

Back in the days of print reporters in pit row and TV network reporters, Burton noted that those folks had a job to do, too.

“It is really easy to be kind and available if they want a story about you versus being the other way, so I was never aloof on any of that,” Burton said. He always took time to be available for requests because not only would you get a good message out about your team or partners, but it was about working together.

Make Sure to Follow Along for More Episodes of Straight Outta Crumpton!

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Twitter – @MarketScale
Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale
LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

digital freight invoicing
ODeX Is Leading the Charge in Digital Freight Invoicing
April 24, 2025

Global shipping continues to grapple with fragmented billing processes, often delaying cargo movement. According to McKinsey, adopting an electronic bill of lading could save $6.5 billion in direct costs and enable $40 billion in global trade. As vessels carry goods for thousands of shippers per voyage, the administrative burden of managing and reconciling invoices…

Read More
Human Intelligence Movement
Just Thinking… about Reimagining Education for the AI Era with the Human Intelligence Movement
April 24, 2025

As artificial intelligence reshapes education, work, and daily life, educators are grappling with how to prepare students for a future where human skills—not just knowledge—will be paramount. In fact, a growing number of reports highlight that employers increasingly value collaboration, communication, and emotional intelligence over memorized content. Amid this transformation, the Human Intelligence Movement…

Read More
The Value of a Restoration Team with Healthcare Experience
The Value of a Restoration Team with Healthcare Experience
April 24, 2025

In this episode of Inside Restoration & Recovery, host Martha Lewis welcomes Jason McClaren, Director of Facilities Operations at Reunion Rehabilitation Hospitals, to discuss the critical advantage of partnering with a restoration team experienced in healthcare. A former firefighter and military veteran, Jason has spent the last decade managing safety, risk, and emergency preparedness…

Read More
Science of reading
Educators Must Combine 1:1 Tutoring with the Science of Reading to Close the Reading Gap
April 23, 2025

Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, the education system faced a seismic shift. Learning loss, especially in foundational literacy, was a national crisis. In 2024, only 31% of fourth graders in the U.S. were reading proficiently, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Meanwhile, tutoring exploded as a top strategy to recover…

Read More