NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications Senior Dir Jon Schwartz said that driver Austin Dillon has "been the No. 1 seller among drivers with only one merchandise hauler on site" in Daytona this week. USA TODAY's Jeff Gluck notes that is "everyone but Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson." Dillon "jumped to the No. 7 biggest seller on NASCAR.com; he was 22nd last season" as the Nationwide Series champion. Richard Childress Racing said that among the new offerings for Dillon "are a T-shirt and a die-cast car commemorating" his pole win for Sunday's Daytona 500 (USA TODAY, 2/21).
COOKIE CUTTER: NASCAR and snack company Mondelez on Thursday announced a three-year extension of their sponsorship deal. The extension will designate Mondelez brands Oreo, Nilla Wafers and Nutter Butter as the sanctioning body's official cookies, while Ritz and Wheat Thins will be official crackers. Mondelez will continue to create NASCAR-themed Oreo and Ritz packaging for a Nabisco “Snack & Go” consumer sweepstakes (NASCAR).
LENDING A HAND: Lending Tree has agreed to be the primary sponsor for Swan Racing's Sprint Cup Series No. 30 Toyota for the Daytona 500. The deal comes one day after rookie driver Parker Kligerman's "car was destroyed" during practice at Daytona Int'l Speedway when he flipped the vehicle, "went airborne and ripped out a chunk of the grandstand fence." The funding "gives Swan Racing some breathing room for the rest of the week" (AP, 2/20).
NOTES: Mars Chocolate North America and M&M’s Racing have unveiled a peanut-themed paint scheme for Kyle Busch’s No. 18 Toyota for the Daytona 500. M&M’s "Yellow" peanut candy mascot will be featured on the exterior of the car, the first time that character has made a solo appearance on the car (M&M’s)....CarsForSale.com on Thursday announced that it has inked a deal with Sprint Cup driver Landon Cassill. The site began as primary sponsor for Hillman Racing's No. 4 Chevrolet SS starting in Thursday night's Budweiser Duels (CarsForSale.com).
