Marketplace Roundup

Jim Beam To Return As Primary Sponsor For Robby Gordon Next Year

In this week's SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, Terry Lefton reports an NFL deal for the '08 playoffs will make KFC the league's "first 'official wing sponsor.'" The rights acquired by KFC under the media-heavy deal "will be used to push KFC chicken wings as the snack of choice during the playoffs and the Super Bowl." Lefton: "Look for TV and point-of-sale support, along with 32-ounce cups with NFL logos, Super Bowl ticket/trip giveaways via a sweeps overlay, and a bucket of chicken containing a wing count in accordance with the next Super Bowl." The NFL has been "targeting a QSR since Burger King left the fold after last season." KFC is part of Yum Brands (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 11/17 issue).

NASCAR NOTES: NASCAR SCENE's Bob Pockrass reported Jim Beam "plans on returning as a primary sponsor for the majority of NASCAR Sprint Cup races with Robby Gordon next year as he visited with the company's distributors annual conference a couple of weeks ago and was introduced" as the '09 driver. The sponsorship "should put Gordon in good shape for the 2009 season," as he "already had confirmed that he had renewed his sponsorship from Menards" (SCENEDAILY.com, 11/16)....Pinnacle Foods Group LLC will be the primary sponsor for three NASCAR Nationwide Series races next season on Kevin Harvick Inc.'s No. 33 Chevrolet (SCENEDAILY.com, 11/15).