UPS formally announced its primary sponsorship of the
Robert Yates-owned No. 88 Winston Cup Ford and driver Dale
Jarrett, effective next season. UPS is running new ads
around the partnership featuring Jarrett (UPS). In
Charlotte, Poole & Utter reported that the deal is "said to
be among the most lucrative in stock-car racing" (CHARLOTTE
OBSERVER, 11/18). In Atlanta, Carvell & Minter wrote that
the car's paint scheme features UPS' colors of dark brown,
yellow and white (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 11/17). UPS runs a
full-page ad in USA TODAY featuring Jarrett and the new UPS
Ford (11/20). Jarrett, on the sponsorship: "We're really
excited to have UPS onboard for the next four years.
Excited that we performed well enough to have a company of
UPS' stature to come into the sport, really for the first
time, on a major sponsorship level, and be a part of our
race team." Yates: "We've got a company that's the most
recognized around the world" ("RPM 2Night," ESPN2, 11/17).
PIT STOPS: In Atlanta, Frances Katz wrote that AOL, a
new partner of NASCAR, "set up shop this weekend" at Atlanta
Motor Speedway "to demonstrate its new" AOL-TV (ATLANTA
CONSTITUTION, 11/18)....Kevin Lepage, driver of the Roush
Racing-owned No. 16 Chevrolet, whose car will not return
next year due to lack of a sponsor: "Sponsorship has been a
problem. With four other Roush teams looking for
sponsorship, somebody had to take the fall." Jack Roush:
"The team hasn't been sold, but right now we don't have the
wherewithal to operate next year" ("RPM 2Night," ESPN2,
11/17)....Jeff Gordon and his PR people sent a box of
souvenirs to GA resident Sheri Robertson, who "missed out on
winning" $1M when Gordon beat Dale Earnhardt in Richmond in
September. Robertson was paired with Earnhardt in Winston's
No Bull 5 promo, but Gordon was awarded a victory despite
using an illegal engine part (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 11/18).
...Pontiac runs a full-page ad in USA TODAY, congratulating
Bobby Labonte on his Winston Cup title (11/20).
HARRAH'S ON IN TEXAS: Harrah's has signed on to title
sponsor the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup race at TX Motor
Speedway. Harrah's takes over DirecTV's remaining year on
its title sponsorship deal (Harrah's).
