Danica Patrick claims she doesn't want to be the big story at Daytona
Gilbert Sam, Jr.
http://www.racewayreport.com
Friday, February 12, 2010
Danica Patrick claims she doesn�t want to be the big story: Danica
Patrick addressed the amount of attention her NASCAR debut is
receiving. While she has, in many ways, overshadowed the normal run-up
to Sunday�s Daytona 500, she knows she can�t control it. Yet she hopes
something good comes from it all. �I can�t control how much is out
there and what people say,� she said. �That�s not my mission � to be
the big story. But, you know, on the other hand, if I can do anything
to help the series, the other drivers, perhaps drag in some sponsors,
I�m happy to do it. And I get benefit from that, too. So there�s a lot
of reasons why this is a good thing.� (Daytona News-Journal)
http://www.racewayreport.com/news/misc.html
FOX Sports boss incredibly optimistic about NASCAR ratings: Fox,
revving up its coverage of a new NASCAR season with Sunday�s Daytona
500, sounds almost giddy. After sagging NASCAR TV ratings in recent
years and criticism of less-than-thrilling racing from even the
sport�s drivers and TV race analysts, Fox Sports head David Hill says
he�s now �incredibly optimistic� over NASCAR having �listened to its
fan base and its research.� (USA Today)
Dale Jr.�s new sponsor for Daytona 500: Carchex has signed Dale
Earnhardt Jr., one of the biggest names in NASCAR, to an endorsemenst
deal beginning this weekend at the Daytona 500. Earnhardt Jr. will
appear in advertising, marketing and on the Web site of the Hunt
Valley provider of extended car warranties. Carchex�s logo will appear
on Earnhardt Jr.�s No. 88 Chevrolet, for the entire 2010 NASCAR
Nationwide Series. Financial terms of the associate sponsorship deal
were not disclosed. (Baltimore Business Journal)
http://www.racewayreport.com/tv/news.html
Mark Martin has confidence in NASCAR dealing with economy: Mark Martin
believes that NASCAR is coping with the economy better than it is
often given credit for. �I think the state of NASCAR is really good,
comparatively speaking, to where it peaked let�s say two years ago,
whenever that time (was) where it peaked,� Martin said. �That was an
unimaginable peak. NASCAR is only taking a minor reset based on the
hit that the economy has taken across the board. My opinion from the
way the economy has affected everything and everyone � NASCAR has
experienced a small reset. Now that we have some encouragement with an
uptick in the economy, we see that momentum is headed in that
direction. It�s only better for our fans, who really felt more pain
than we did in our sport. But obviously we were affected by it as
well. I think the glass is way more than half full here with NASCAR.�
(USA Today)
http://racewayreport.com/markmartin
Tebow pimps Gatorade at Daytona: Tim Tebow, who attended the Daytona
500 last year, recently signed a contract with Gatorade. “I don’t know
if I’m becoming the face of products, but I’m enjoying the
transition,” Tebow said. “It’s something that has been a lot of fun.
It’s been a little bit overwhelming, but very enjoyable. I’m just
trying to take everything in stride and just stay focused and keep
working as hard as I can and looking forward to everything in the
future.” Tebow talked to several of the Sprint Cup drivers, looked
over a few of the cars and even took a few laps around the famed 2.66-
mile superspeedway. He also signed autographs and posed for pictures
with the race fans. “It’s just really exciting,” he said. “It’s a
great opportunity for me to meet a lot of people. To be here with
Gatorade is a great opportunity. And, to just be able to meet these
people and to know the drivers, as well as to get to know the sport
better and to just be around it, it’s just a great opportunity for
me.” Tebow, though, refused to answer any questions about football or
his Super Bowl ad. (Daytona Beach News-Journal)
http://www.racewayreport.com/news/sponsorship.html
Daytona 500 advertisers enjoy higher brand recall, likeability:
According to data gathered by Nielsen IAG, traditional ads airing in
last year�s Daytona were 26% more likely to be recalled by race
viewers than those who saw the ad run elsewhere. Spots by NASCAR
advertisers Home Depot, McDonald�s and State Farm Insurance
particularly enjoyed brand recall levels that were at least twice that
of airings outside the race. (Nielsen Wire)
http://www.racewayreport.com/news/daytona.html
Decorated war hero to be guest of U.S. Army team: Sgt. 1st Class Ryan
Ragan, a decorated war hero from Sarasota, Fla., will be a guest of
driver Ryan Newman and the U.S. Army NASCAR team for Sunday's Daytona
500 at Daytona International Speedway. Ragan, a 1996 graduate of
Sarasota High School, has served three deployments since joining the
Army in 1999 -- two in Iraq and one in Turkey. He was awarded a Purple
Heart in 2003 after suffering major injuries to his leg in Iraq when
the vehicle he was riding in was struck with an improvised explosive
device (IED). During his second lraq deployment in 2006, he was
awarded a Bronze Star for meritorious service. "Being a Florida
native, I think it's going to be pretty cool to attend the Daytona
500," said Ragan. "I met Ryan (Newman) at the Army All American Bowl
last month and look forward to seeing him again and meeting all of his
crew members. NASCAR is a big deal to the Soldiers and to see it all
firsthand is going to be really special." Ragan, 32, is currently
stationed in Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. He is studying business
administration with online courses from the University of Maryland.
Ragan will also join Newman and other guest speakers at "Strength For
The Future," a unique education program for local Florida students
presented by the U.S. Army. The event is slated to take place on
Friday morning (10:15-11 a.m.) at the Speedway hospitality area --
behind the frontstretch grandstands.(US Army Racing)
http://www.racewayreport.com/news/stewart_haas_racing.html
No. 26 team signs associate sponsor: Latitude 43 announced that Sacred
Power has signed as an Associate Sponsor for the first 5 races of the
2010 season with Boris Said and the #26 Ford Fusion.Sacred Power is a
Native owned solar energy company based in New Mexico. That's right
Latitude 43 is going green. Sacred Power's President / Ceo David
Melton stated "We are excited to be the first Solar Energy Company to
be a sponsor of a team in the top series in NASCAR. We understand the
marketing power of NASCAR and are excited to be with a team that is
locked into the top 35 in owner points. We are even more excited to be
with a driver as recognizable as Boris Said." Sacred Power's V.P. /
COO Odes Armijo-Caster added, "We look forward to attending the race
in California next week where Sacred Power will adorn the hood of the
car. We would love to be in Daytona this week but things have been put
in place too quickly for that to happen."(PR)
http://www.racewayreport.com/news/sponsorship.html
NFL's Jones-Drew wants to be NASCAR team owner: What little Maurice
Jones-Drew knew of NASCAR he learned on the drive Thursday from
Jacksonville to the Daytona International Speedway. By the time the
Gatorade Duels were done, he wanted to part of the sport. "I want to
be an owner," he said. "I think that would be exciting." The Jaguars
running back was the grand marshal for the second 150-mile qualifying
race that set the starting lineup for the Daytona 500. Florida
quarterback Tim Tebow gave the command to start engines for the first
race. Jones-Drew had never been to a race. He rode with Jaguars
assistant equipment managers and big NASCAR fans George Pellicer
and Cory Fancher and they tried to get the all-pro up to speed. Jones-
Drew believes he'd be a great car owner. "The key to being a good
owner is who you have with you," he said. "I don't think any one
person can run a race team. You need to have a lot of good people. I
would get all the good people I can and I would give them the very
best of what they needed. But we'd also have rules. We'd have a way to
do things and you'd have to follow that."(Florida Times-Union)
http://www.racewayreport.com/news/misc.html
Miss Sprint Cup adds two newcomers: Sprint on Wednesday introduced the
2010 Miss Sprint Cup lineup. Returning for her third season as Miss
Sprint Cup, Monica Palumbo was joined by newcomers Paige Duke and
Amanda Wright in the media center at Daytona International Speedway,
as the program expands to three representatives in 2010. Palumbo is a
native of Charlotte, N.C. Duke and Wright hail from Lancaster, S.C.,
and York, Maine, respectively. The program, which began as a small
part of a Sprint sweepstakes promotion in 2007, has become a valuable
asset for the Sprint NASCAR sponsorship, both in terms of brand
exposure and fan engagement. Highly visible personalities at every
Sprint Cup Series event, the Miss Sprint Cup representatives appear
throughout the weekend at the Sprint Experience mobile display, where
they greet fans and interviews drivers, celebrities and other NASCAR
personalities. They can also be found interacting with race-day
attendees on pit-road tours, in the Sprint Cup Series garage and at
driver introductions. With the rise in the program's popularity, Miss
Sprint Cup now regularly receives requests from tracks, teams,
charitable organizations and even other NASCAR sponsors to appear at
various events. The increased time demands, both at and away from the
track, spurred the decision to expand the program to include a third
Miss Sprint Cup for 2010. Two of the three representatives will appear
at every race, while all three will be at select events, including the
Daytona 500.(NASCAR.com)
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