Subway To Sponsor Tony Stewart's Car As Part Of New JGR Deal
By Michael Smith, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal
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Subway To Serve As Primary Sponsor On
Stewart's Ride In Saturday's Sprint Cup Race |
Subway will be the primary sponsor on Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 20 Toyota driven by Tony Stewart for Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Phoenix Int'l Raceway (PIR), where it also is the title sponsor of the Subway Fresh Fit 500. This is part of a major associate sponsorship of the No. 20 car that includes two more races in which Subway will be the primary sponsor this season. Terms of the deal were not available, but an announcement on the multi-year deal is expected today. Associate sponsorships typically sell for low-to-mid seven figures. Subway has had a personal services agreement with Stewart since late '06 and has featured the driver in its commercials. Subway CMO Tony Pace said this sponsorship serves to deepen the connection between the QSR and Stewart, and that another commercial with Stewart is planned for this year. "We entered discussions with The Home Depot folks and they were willing to give us a couple of primaries," Pace said. "Tony is a fabulous driver, he eats our product and we're happy to be associated with him. We appreciate The Home Depot folks giving us a chance to be more visible with him. We had been told that there was no way that was going to happen." Saturday night's race is the last in the contract between PIR and Subway. Pace said Subway is "favorably disposed" to renewing, but no decision has been made.
RARE OCCASION: Subway's sponsorship represents one of the few times that The Home Depot has come off the primary position in its 10 seasons on the No. 20 car. Coca-Cola ran a couple of special paint schemes with the C2 and Powerade brands in '04 and '06, and some of The Home Depot's vendors have been on the hood for select events. But Subway's deal to be the primary for three races marks the first time that a corporate partner has had the hood for multiple races. Additionally, Stewart and his crew will wear Subway suits for the race Saturday.
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