SCENE DAILY’s Bob Pockrass noted getting the NASCAR operations of Penske Racing and Roush Fenway Racing to co-exist “will be a challenge for both organizations and Ford beginning in 2013.” But Ford Racing Dir Jamie Allison said, “It’s not the number of entries that is a factor per se, it’s the number of teams that can act independently yet collaborate in some fashion to kind of raise the performance attributes. What we really like to see, as we’ve done with the announcement of Penske, is the addition of a team that brings independence, engineering excellence and involvement in other forms of motorsports, especially with the escalation of technology in the sport that we’re seeing” (SCENEDAILY.com, 3/21).
MANNING MONEY: Horrow Sports Ventures CEO Rick Horrow said regardless of whether new Broncos QB Peyton Manning “returns to his football MVP form after recovering from neck surgery, Manning will remain an endorsement MVP for the companies he works with.” Horrow said Manning “could be even more valuable to his sponsors when his playing career ends. Bottom line, like retired athletes Michael Jordan and Joe Montana before him, expect to see a lot more of Peyton Manning for years to come” (“NBR,” PBS, 3/20).
SERIOUS PLAY: MEDIA POST’s Tanya Irwin reported HSBC is “launching a new campaign as part of their co-title sponsorship of the 2012 Cathay Pacific/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens rugby tournament, which takes place March 23-25.” The effort, via JWT, London, includes “a 90-second spot, entitled ‘Serious Play,’ which will be shown in the Hong Kong stadium and online on HSBC's YouTube channel and on Facebook” (MEDIAPOST.com, 3/21).
