NASCAR heavily activated the forthcoming “Logan Lucky” feature film during Sunday’s Monster Energy Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the track and race that play central parts in the movie. The movie, which was shot in collaboration with director Steven Soderbergh and features Channing Tatum in the lead role, depicts a theoretical heist at CMS. To kickoff the promotion of the film, which is slated for an August release, Tatum was the grand marshal of the race and NASCAR debuted the official two-and-a-half-minute trailer of the film on the CMS videoboard. The trailer was also released simultaneously on social channels for NASCAR, actors in the film, drivers in the film and CMS. The official 30-second spot for the film also debuted on Fox during the race, and Tatum was involved in a secret stunt involving fans at the race. NASCAR VP/Entertainment Marketing & Content Development Zane Stoddard, who is exec producing the film, said the promo push started last weekend “because of Charlotte Motor Speedway and the Coca-Cola 600 being in the film, to really blow it up for NASCAR fans.” The general market promotion starts six weeks ahead of the release, and NASCAR is also planning to have talent from the film out at the Brickyard 400 as part of that push ahead of the release through Bleecker Street, which is the film’s distributor. The Charlotte Observer noted both Tatum and Soderbergh intend to celebrate NASCAR in the movie. Tatum told the newspaper, "I let them know we wanted to have fun with it without making fun."
LIGHTNING STRIKES AGAIN: NASCAR is also in the midst of its promo push around Disney-Pixar’s “Cars 3,” another film with which it has an association. The sanctioning body held a VIP screening last week near Charlotte for members of the industry and also had the 30-city “Cars 3” exhibition tour stop at CMS during the Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race weekend. There will also be forthcoming screenings in Daytona for the movie, which comes out June 16th, one for the NASCAR industry and one for local children, and there are also screenings taking place at children’s hospitals as part of a move by the NASCAR Foundation and Disney Foundation.
