Thursday, July 29, 1999
Speedway scores key sponsor
Budweiser to be Ky. racetrack's official beer
BY TERRY FLYNN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Dale Earnhardt Jr. meets with the media while autograph seekers wait their turn.
(Patrick Reddy photo)
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Budweiser will be the official beer of the new Kentucky Speedway, an advertising partnership that is easily the most important deal the fledgling racetrack has landed.
“The Budweiser name brings instant credibility to the racetrack,” Jerry Carroll, Kentucky Speedway's president and co-owner, said at a news conference Wednesday. “Budweiser is the biggest name in racing sponsorship. These guys (Anheuser-Busch) make things happen.”
In a three-year corporate sponsorship agreement, Budweiser will be recognized on advertising signs around the 1.5-mile complex. It also will be a marketing partner with the speedway in promoting races and special events.
Kentucky Speedway, along Interstate 71 and Ky. 35 in Gallatin County, is to open in June 2000. The speedway will initially seat 65,000, but is designed to expand to 150,000 seats. It will have 50 luxury suites that could grow to 120 suites, and a 210-seat restaurant at the start/finish line.
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LINING UP SPONSORS
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Here's a look at other sponsors who have committed to the Kentucky Speedway:
• Budweiser (Anheuser-Busch): Designated as the track's official beer. Signed a three-year corporate deal.
• Cintas Corp.: Mason-based uniform supplier that provides the official uniform of the speedway. It will have control of the track gift shop where speedway apparel will be sold.
• Ford Motor Co. and Tristate Quality Ford Dealers: Official car and truck of the speedway, providing pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles and passenger cars.
• Blue Grass Quality Meats Corp.: The Crescent Springs firm is the speedway's official meat company, providing hot dogs, metts, brats and other products. It also is the sponsor of the first Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) Series race, the $350,000 Blue Grass Quality Meats 200.
• Coca-Cola: Official soft drink of NASCAR and the speedway.
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“Auto racing is flourishing in the Midwest,” Mr. Carroll said. “This is the heart of the country and auto racing has been a big attraction for many years.”
Officials at Kentucky Speedway are confident the track will become a commercial gold mine. NASCAR bills itself as one of the most popular and fastest-growing sports in the country. Attendance at NASCAR Winston Cup races have soared — jumping from about 2.5 million in 1987 to nearly 7 million today.
It also is a place where nearly all of the country's leading national advertisers — including Procter & Gamble — have their products splashed on NASCAR cars.
Why do companies want to link themselves with drivers? The NASCAR fan is the most loyal in sports. A study by Performance Research of Rhode Island claims 72 percent of NASCAR fans consciously purchase products of NASCAR sponsors. It's all about consumer loyalty.
Budweiser is recognized as one of the oldest and largest participating corporate sponsors in motor racing. The brand is the official beer of NASCAR and the National Hot Road Association (NHRA). Its parent company, Anheuser-Busch, sponsors the NASCAR Busch Series.
Budweiser also serves as an individual race car sponsor for several teams, including the No.8 NASCAR Winston Cup car of Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Mr. Earnhardt, the 1998 Busch Series champion who will compete in the full Winston Cup series in 2000, at tended Wednesday's news conference and praised the Budweiser sponsorship.
“In the time I've worked with Budweiser, I've learned that they do everything first class,” he said. “And what I've seen of the preparation at Kentucky Speedway shows me that this is also a first-class operation.”
Mr. Carroll said he expects to have four race events at the speedway next year.
“We're already working to move the NASCAR Truck series race from Louisville Speedway (also owned by Mr. Carroll and his partners), and we have the ARCA (Automo bile Racing Club of America) race scheduled,” he said.
“I believe we will have a Busch race next year, and we're working toward an IRL (Indy Racing League) date.”
In addition to the racing events, Mr. Carroll said the track management is looking at the possibility of a business conference center and retreat facility, as well as some industrial development in the immediate vicinity of the track.
“I'm a developer, so I'm looking at all the options,” he said. “But our first priority is opening the track and making it a success. We'll look at other development after that.”
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