NASCAR has inked a four-year deal making "time-share
giant" Club Sunterra the "Official Vacation Clubs/
Destination" of the racing organization, according to Andy
Bernstein of the SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. A Club Sunterra
exec said that the deal "involves an annual rights fee of
approximately" $1.5M and that the company will "probably
spend at least an additional" $3M a year on "NASCAR-related
marketing." Club Sunterra Senior VP/Strategic Alliances Bob
Childs: "When we looked at the other companies in the same
official status role [with NASCAR], those are who we want to
be associated with and cross-market our products with. We
see NASCAR as a medium of exchange that gets us together."
The company has "committed to leveraging" its new
partnership by "creating a traveling NASCAR legends exhibit,
honoring drivers, tracks and teams of the past"
(SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 11/8 issue).
FUN IN THE SUN: NASCAR, Saban Consumer Products and
Hasbro will unveil tomorrow the consumer products based on
the new Fox Kids animated series, "NASCAR Racers," including
die-cast cars with special paint jobs that the cars of Jeff
Gordon, Bobby Labonte, Terry Labonte and Kenny Wallace will
feature this Sunday at the inaugural Pennzoil 400 in FL. The
four drivers will also wear "NASCAR Racers"-themed uniforms
for the race (NASCAR). BRANDWEEK's T.L. Stanley reports
that "NASCAR Racers" premieres in February but "gets an
early sweeps-pegged jumpstart with a 90-minute movie airing
trackside and on Fox Kids this week." Hasbro plans a $7M
media campaign in February around the new products.
Additionally, a "link with Kellogg" will put "NASCAR Racers"
on about 20 million boxes of Frosted Flakes beginning in
March, with a mail-in offer for die-casts (BRANDWEEK, 11/8).
SEVEN-FIGURE TITLE SPONSOR DEAL: Pennzoil Motorsports
Manager Joyce Caron-Mercier "won't reveal exact numbers" but
says that her company "paid between" $1-2M for naming rights
to Sunday's Winston Cup race (MIAMI HERALD, 11/8).
