Soap Box Derby Picks Up Some Speed With NASCAR Alliance
 NASCAR has formed a multi-year partnership with the All-American Soap Box Derby, which will become part of NASCAR's Youth Program initiative and will benefit from NASCAR's media awareness and resources (THE DAILY). While there was no financial figure put on the partnership, NASCAR President Mike Helton said, "We're not putting a cap or a minimum on it now. What the program needs is exposure." NASCAR Exec VP Brian France said that that exposure could include televising the All-American race at Derby Downs in Akron nationally. France added that NASCAR's "sponsoring expertise will also come into play, adding numerous potential funding sources to the derby." National title sponsor Goodyear, a sponsor since '99, contributes $300,000 a year to the derby (Stephen Dyer, AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 7/6). Derby officials said that they "hope the NASCAR name will help attract more sponsors and participants to the sport, which draws about 5,000 children worldwide." NASCAR VP/Corporate Communications Jim Hunter said, "From our perspective, if kids get involved in racing at an early age, going downhill in a soapbox car, hopefully they'll tune in to NASCAR racing on TV or grow up knowing what we're about." In Cleveland, Kera Ritter wrote Goodyear "sparked NASCAR's interest" two years ago when the company invited Helton to the championships (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 7/5). Helton also said that for NASCAR, the partnership "translates into presence in 115 U.S. cities and several foreign countries where derby events are held" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 7/6).
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