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| The paint scheme will be on Mayfield’s Dodge for the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona. |
The NHL is generating some incremental exposure for itself and one of its biggest corporate sponsors with the inclusion of an NHL-branded car in NASCAR's Budweiser Shootout race on Feb. 7.
Evernham Motorsports' Jeremy Mayfield will drive his No. 19 Dodge with a special NHL All-Star Game paint scheme in the race, a warm-up for the Daytona 500. The league's All-Star Game will be held the next day in St. Paul, Minn.
NASCAR licensee Action Performance Cos. is producing die-cast versions of the NHL car. Dodge also will have a version of the car on display at the NHL's All-Star Fantasy.
The project is a mass of NHL sponsor synergy since it involves Dodge, Budweiser and Nextel, the new title sponsor of NASCAR's top series and an important NHL corporate sponsor.
With Dodge up for renewal after this season, "We're showing that we can leverage the NHL with more than just hockey fans," said Andrew Judelson, NHL group vice president of corporate marketing.
While the NHL had a Craftsman Truck Series paint scheme five or six years ago, this is the first time the sport — with its roots decidedly north of the Mason-Dixon line — has been involved in any of NASCAR's top racing circuits.
