The Cartoon Network will debut its sponsorship of Steve
Grissom's NASCAR entry at this Sunday's Daytona 500, according to
the ORLANDO SENTINEL. Gene Yasuda writes that NASCAR's
popularity is "surging," attracting "hordes of new fans --
including more families, women and white-collar professionals."
That is why the Cartoon Network is taking its place among
"traditional sponsors," such as Budweiser and Valvoline.
Grissom's car will be painted with images of Fred Flintstone and
Barney Rubble, and the network plans to gain recognition by
selling merchandise to NASCAR fans. Hanna-Barbera Enterprises VP
Tom Barreca: "We're targeting families, and that's exactly what
NASCAR offers." A study by the Newport, RI-based Performance
Research indicates more than 70% of NASCAR fans say they "almost
always" or "frequently" buy sponsors' products over a
competitor's. NASCAR says 29% of its fans report household income
of $50,000 or more, nearly 40% are women, and 64% of fans are
married. Marketing analysts say NASCAR is attracting fans and
sponsors because of expansion. Once a sport prominent only in
the Southeast, in the past six years NASCAR has introduced races
in Indianapolis, San Francisco and New England. Last year,
Winston Cup races attracted 5.3 million fans, up 8.8% from 4.9
million in '94. Marketing experts say NASCAR also benefits from
fans' disenchantment with other pro sports and players (ORLANDO
SENTINEL, 2/16).
SMILE MICKEY! The 500 is "revving up" the tourism industry
all over Central Florida and is estimated to bring in over
400,000 racing fans (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 2/16).
