Companies that sponsored race cars in the Indianapolis 500 "received as much as $74.9 million worth of media exposure," marking a 27% decrease from last year, according to a MI-based Joyce Julius report cited by Rick Westhead of BLOOMBERG NEWS. The 240 sponsors received three hours, one minute and 48 seconds of on-screen time, as well as 171 "verbal references," on ABC's telecast. But car sponsors garnered less exposure this year, as last year's race lasted seven hours, 15 minutes due to a rain delay. Delphi Automotive, which sponsored drivers Mark Dismore and Scott Sharp, "received the most attention, translating to about" $4M. Other sponsors getting exposure were Bridgestone's Firehawk brand, with $3.4M, and GM's Oldsmobile, with $3.3M. Meanwhile, Philip Morris' Marlboro, "which sponsored race winner Helio Castroneves, received $682,350 worth of exposure because tobacco advertising laws prevented it from displaying logos on Castroneves' car" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 6/4).
ROLLIN' IT OUT: The AP writes unlike stock cars, CART cars "don't have a lot of space" for ads, and "with that in mind, British-based Adflash Limited, developed WheelFX, a system in which light-emitting diodes [placed] on the wheels constantly display the image regardless of speed." Drivers Christian Fittipaldi and Cristiano de Matta will debut the technology at the Tenneco Automotive Grand Prix of Detroit June 17. The wheels of the Newman-Haas cars will display logos of Kmart, Texaco/Havoline and Toyota (AP, 6/3).
