Coors Light Replaces Budweiser As NASCAR's Official Beer
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Coors Light Signs Five-Year Deal
To Be Official Beer Of NASCAR |
Coors Brewing and NASCAR have signed a five-year partnership, making Coors Light the official beer of NASCAR beginning next season. Budweiser has been the official beer of the racing series since ‘98. The new deal gives Coors category exclusivity, as well as the right to brand the Pole Award formerly sponsored by Bud. Coors is ending its primary sponsorship of the No. 40 Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge after this season. Bud, which is losing its relationship with Dale Earnhardt Jr. with the driver's move from DEI to Hendrick Motorsports next season, will maintain a presence with NASCAR's top series via a new primary sponsorship arrangement with Kasey Kahne's No. 9 Dodge (THE DAILY). USA TODAY's Theresa Howard reports Coors' five-year NASCAR deal is worth $20M. Howard adds a league sponsorship "opens up greater opportunity for strong retail display -- especially in and around cities where races occur." Coors CMO Andy England, on how the deal helps with retail activation plans: "This gives us great exposure in the 50 miles around the track. It means no matter who wins on the track, we win every week in stores" (USA TODAY, 9/25). ESPN.com's David Newton notes the name of the season-opening Budweiser Shootout after the '08 season has yet to be determined. The Shootout will be run next year at Daytona Int'l Speedway under the Budweiser name, but after that "it will be up to [ISC] whether to continue the race with Coors Light or another sponsor." NASCAR Dir of Business Communications Andrew Giangola: "Our agreement does not include the Shootout. That is a separate entitlement with ISC" (ESPN.com, 9/25).
TWO STEP: With Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 Hendrick Chevrolet being sponsored by Amp Energy drink and the National Guard next season, Speed’s Dave Despain said to Fox analyst Darrell Waltrip, “This is strange to me. Junior with two sponsors. I’ll throw out three possibilities: 1) NASCAR is so expensive, even its most popular driver can’t demand enough money to pay for a car all season; 2) Both Mountain Dew and the National Guard are paying full boat so this is the richest car deal ever done; 3) Having signed the National Guard before he did the Junior deal, [team Owner Rick] Hendrick just had too many sponsors.” Fox NASCAR analyst Darrell Waltrip said, “I think your third choice is the best. Rick has a real loyalty to the National Guard.” Waltrip said Amp "was the deal they went after. Rick didn’t want to kick the National Guard out” (“Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain,” Speed TV, 9/23).
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