NASCAR AIMS TO REACH NEW MARKETS THROUGH THE SOUND OF MUSIC

          NASCAR will stage 15-25 branded concerts from May-
     August next year in partnership with CBS and TNN, according
     to Terry Lefton of BRANDWEEK.  Tentatively called "The
     Nascar Summer Music Festival," the tour will bring
     "mainstream acts to locales that typically do not host
     races," in an attempt to "reach outside" NASCAR's
     southeastern core markets.  NASCAR sponsors and licensees
     are being offered sponsorship packages that include signage,
     hospitality and media by way of NASCAR's TV partners.  TNN
     and CBS will produce prime time specials showcasing concert
     highlights and will also tie in local radio and TV affils 
     and cable operators.  Neither talent nor specific sites have
     yet to be booked, but Denver, Chicago and N.Y. will be
     venues for the outdoor concerts (BRANDWEEK, 5/25 issue).
          THE OTHER ONES: AD AGE's Jeff Jensen also reports on
     the concert tour and writes that NASCAR execs are
     undertaking initiatives to "craft branding strategies and
     integrated marketing programs" for its other properties,
     including the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the NASCAR
     Busch Series.  Jensen writes that perhaps "most ambitious"
     is NASCAR's intention to develop a branded platform linking
     nine different regional touring series, representing more
     than 2,000 events each year (Jeff Jensen, AD AGE, 5/25).