As part of its new NASCAR partnership, a new series of
Coca-Cola vending machines "are fronted with larger-than-
life photos" of NASCAR drivers including Dale Earnhardt,
Kyle Petty, Ricky Rudd and Bill Elliott, according to Mickey
Gramig of the ATLANTA CONSTITUTION. Industry experts say
Coca-Cola will spend $30M "to execute" its five-year NASCAR
"strategy." Howard Jacobs, who leads Coca-Cola's NASCAR
marketing division, said he sees the NASCAR Winston Cup
series as "a weekly Woodstock." NASCAR VP/Marketing Brian
France "wouldn't confirm reports that Pepsi actually outbid
Coca-Cola but didn't offer the same level of marketing
support dollars," saying only that Coca-Cola's "complete
package" was a better deal. France: "They're helping us
reach new fans and satisfy existing fans. They're promoting
our drivers, and promoting NASCAR in a meaningful way across
all the lines of their reach" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 2/8).
NA$CAR: With Speedweeks in Daytona, the ORLANDO
SENTINEL's Gwyneth Shaw examines NASCAR's $800M "marketing
empire" in today's issue (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 2/10).
