Wheels & Deals: Eldora Speedway First Dirt Track To Sign Deal With iRacing
FOXSPORTS.com's Samuel Reiman noted Ohio-based Eldora Speedway yesterday "became the first dirt track" to sign a deal with racing simulator iRacing. It had "taken a while for iRacing to upgrade its technology enough for dirt racing to be made possible," as they "first had to perfect the science of dynamic track surfaces." Subscribers to iRacing will now "soon be able to take on" Eldora Speedway "against other sim racers around the world, with the track surface continuingly changing throughout the race." Eldora Speedway plays host to the only NASCAR national series race "currently held on dirt" with its annual Camping World Truck Series event (FOXSPORTS.com, 4/4).
BACK TOGETHER: Indianapolis-based merchandising company MainGate yesterday announced a two-year agreement with Texas-based Circuit of the Americas. INSIDE INDIANA BUSINESS' Dan McGowan noted the deal "involves managing event, e-commerce and wholesale business." A previous deal between COTA and MainGate ended in '14. MainGate will "manage retail" during the MotoGP Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas, Lone Star Le Mans and F1 U.S Grand Prix, as well as "oversee development of an on-site retail outlet." The agreement also "calls for MainGate to re-launch COTAstore.com and facilitate nationwide retail wholesale opportunities" (INSIDEINDIANABUSINESS.com, 4/4).
SEEING IS BELIEVING: In Phoenix, Michael Knight noted another issue with the IndyCar aero kit is that "multiple pieces do not add up to enough space to make a good billboard." Team owner Roger Penske said, "There's no question when we had bigger wings and other (bodywork) we had more ways to showcase our sponsors. It's sometimes difficult to get the proper visibility for your sponsors." IndyCar President of Competition & Operations Jay Frye added, "The winglets on the sides, some people call them 'sponsor blockers.' That's one of the things we're looking at, in the future, what could it look like? ... We have to have sponsors and partners and if you don't have a place to put them on the car it's a bad thing" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 4/3).
NOTES: In Charlotte, David Scott noted "winning a race and already likely locking in a spot" in the first-ever NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase "hasn't helped John Hunter Nemechek’s pursuit of a sponsor." Nemechek said that the phone at his Mooresville-based NEMCO Motorsports shop "has been ringing, but no deals have been struck" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 4/2)....North Carolina-based Lowes Foods will serve as the presenting sponsor of the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway this month. The agreement includes an activation partnership with Smithfield (Lowes Foods).
