DAYTON, Ohio — A traditionally blue-collar sport is advertising the ivory towers.

        Screaming for attention on the rear fender of a NASCAR-winning race car last year, in big red letters, was a logo for Wittenberg University, a small, private, Lutheran-affiliated school in western Ohio.

        College logos have joined ads for gasoline companies, oil filters, soft drinks and beer as schools seek students among racing fans.

        “When you do something like that, you know you're going to get good PR,” Eugene Miller, a Wittenberg graduate, said of his car's victory. “A Watkins Glen victory on national television has a huge effect.” The car won a NASCAR lower-tier race, the Busch North Series Little Trees 150.

        Clemson University was able to establish a scholarship from the sale of merchandise spurred by use of the school's logo in NASCAR races.

        “Clemson and a number of other institutions have begun to look at NASCAR as more than a Sunday afternoon event,” said Greg Pickett, chairman of the marketing department at the South Carolina school. “It raises the profile of those institutions to be involved with a sport that is hot.”

        Herb Branham, a NASCAR spokesman, called it another example of the increasing variety of people who have become NASCAR fans.

        “There are a lot of race fans in the colleges,” Mr. Branham said.

        Mr. Miller also races a car that sports nothing but Wittenberg stickers. His two cars promoting the school have run in 24 NASCAR races since 1999.

        Mr. Miller, head of a financial-consulting firm in Rochester, N.Y., made his vehicles available to display the school's logo at no cost. Once persuaded, Wittenberg officials liked the idea.

        “The key benefit is name recognition in a part of the country that is part of our prospect pool,” said Gus Geil, vice president for university relations.

        Curiosity about the logo could lead potential students to research the school, he said. “Otherwise, they might not have done it because the name doesn't mean anything to them.”

        The 2,000-student school in Springfield previously confined its marketing to direct mail and an occasional local radio ad to promote one of the school's colleges.

        Andy Santarre, who was crew chief of the Wittenberg car that won at Watkins Glen, said fans asked about the logo.

        “They'd say, "Where is that and what is that?,' and we'd explain it to them,” Mr. Santarre said.

        Roland Rust, chairman of the marketing department at the University of Maryland, said universities are increasingly targeting specialized audiences to increase enrollment.

        But he questioned whether there is a large audience of potential college students among people who watch NASCAR races and whether it is wise for some schools to associate themselves with NASCAR racing.

        “It has kind of a gritty, no-nonsense sort of image,” Mr. Rust said. “I imagine that would be good for some schools and not so good for others.”

        Hal Fulmer, executive director of the Southern States Communication Association, acknowledged that some professors and alumni might be uncomfortable seeing their schools associated with NASCAR, whose races are sponsored by a tobacco company and a brewer and in the past have had a largely blue-collar appeal.

        “The image of the ivory tower and the image of NASCAR are not in the same mental plane. They're kind of on opposite ends,” he said. “There are probably going to be some who say that's over the line.”

        Still, the visibility is good, he said.

        “On a NASCAR car, you can hardly see anything but the logos,” said Mr. Fulmer, communications professor at Georgia Southern University. His association represents 1,000 communications professors around the country.

        Rick VanBrimmer, Ohio State University's director of trademark and licensing services, agreed. Several years ago, the university allowed its logo to be placed on NASCAR vehicles to promote its engineering school and Center for Automotive Research.

        “Those cars are all over the country,” Mr. VanBrimmer said.

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