NASCAR adds several new major sponsors in 2004

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- NASCAR fans, who understand that corporate support helps their favorite race teams perform at the highest levels, are known to be the most sponsor conscious and brand loyal in sports. To connect with NASCAR's 75 million fans, promote their brands and drive sales this season, companies involved in NASCAR are planning a range of new advertising campaigns, consumer promotions and at-track events. Most of the activity starts at the Daytona 500, broadcast on NBC on Feb. 15 beginning at noon, and continues through the end of the season in mid-November -- uniquely putting NASCAR sponsors on the "field of play" for 10 months of the year. Here is a sampling of these companies' plans, including those of this season's new major sponsors -- Nextel, Sunoco, Best Western, Gillette and AutoZone:

Nextel Communications Inc. (NASDAQ:NXTL), new title sponsor of NASCAR's premier national series, has launched its NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series advertising campaign -- a first for NASCAR on network television. The campaign also includes radio, print, and internet ads, signage at all tracks, direct mail and point-of-purchase material in Nextel Retail Stores. Nextel plans to enhance fans' "at-track and off-track wireless experience" and is introducing a licensed merchandise program of apparel, gifts, novelties, and NASCAR-themed driver phones. Nextel is also investing in cellular transmission towers and mobile units at all NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series tracks to allow Nextel subscribers to make mobile phone calls before, during and after races. A spectacular "Glass House" -- Nextel's signature at-track attraction -- will travel to every NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race. The Nextel Experience, perhaps the largest mobile marketing display in sports history, boasts plasma screen TVs, Silicon Speedway racing simulators, web cams to the garage area, and more. Outside, two huge jumbotron towers, measuring 80 feet by 80 feet, will carry live track feeds and other NASCAR programming.

· Sunoco, the new "Official Fuel of NASCAR," has NASCAR-themed point-of-purchase materials at 4,700 fuel stations, including a promotion with the Coca-Cola Company at 600 APlus convenience stores with Coke fountain cups featuring a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series race schedule. Sunoco has racing-themed billboards in several major markets, and will launch a print campaign in USA TODAY and The Sporting News. NASCAR radio spots will run on the MRN and PRN race broadcasts. Later in the season, major NASCAR retail promotions will run at Sunoco's fuel locations. Sunoco is re-designing and in some cases building each track's fuel station with new signage. Sunoco is also sponsoring a contingency award, "Sunoco Fuels NASCAR," providing a monetary award to each race winner and the overall series championship winner.

Toyota makes its NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) debut this year, beginning with the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, Feb. 13. The manufacturer is campaigning seven full-time Tundra race trucks in partnership with four new NCTS teams. NASCAR legend Darrell Waltrip, a Toyota team owner, will drive another Tundra truck in a limited number of races. Toyota's NASCAR presence as an engine supplier dates to its 2000 entrance in the NASCAR Goody's Dash Series, and it culminated in powering Robert Huffman to the 2003 driver's championship. Huffman continues as a Toyota driver, piloting the No. 12 Toyota Tundra for Innovative Motorsports, Inc. Toyota's full-size production Tundra trucks are exclusively assembled in Princeton, Ind. A second truck plant is due to open in 2006 outside of San Antonio, Tex.

Best Western will launch a number of consumer programs in its first year as "The Official Hotel of NASCAR." A loyalty card will allow NASCAR fans to earn points at Best Westerns and to redeem their points for official NASCAR merchandise, room nights and other rewards. The program will be marketed through a new advertising campaign and at-track events. An "MVP Program" for NASCAR corporate employees and other official sponsors and teams will allow employees of participating companies to save up to 20 percent on their leisure travel. Additionally, up to five percent of their room rate will be donated to the Victory Junction Gang, a proud charity of NASCAR.

The Gillette Company's multi-year marketing and promotional agreement with NASCAR and six of its top young drivers -- dubbed the Gillette Young Guns -- runs throughout the 2004 season. The Gillette Young Guns are Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Ryan Newman. Gillette is also partnering with NASCAR as an Official Status Sponsor in the Shaving Products, Alkaline Battery and Oral Care categories. Marketing support includes consumer promotions and retail events, NASCAR print and broadcast ads, licensing, interactive on-line consumer promotions, charitable contributions and hospitality. A consumer sweepstakes, "The Gillette Young Guns $5 Million Challenge," will give fans a chance to win $5 million at two different races over the course of the season. Additionally, a new TV NASCAR-themed commercial is slated to debut during the Budweiser Shootout, Saturday, Feb. 7.

AutoZone (NYSE: AZO), the nation's leading auto parts retailer with 3,200 store locations nationwide, is the new title sponsor of the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division. This division consists of four individual racing series in four regions of the country -- Midwest, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest. NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division events will be supported through in-store displays and local advertising. AutoZone is planning extensive at-track hospitality for its customers.

Sears, title sponsor of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, complements at-track and on-air promotion of the Craftsman brand by incorporating motorsports messages in customer communications. TV and radio ads, racing-themed materials in-store and video clips in its stores' home electronics departments. Photos and driver quotes appear in weekly ads, catalogs and the Craftsman Club tool catalog, which reaches over seven million tool enthusiasts monthly. Sears' annual NASCAR-themed sales promotion attracts race fans to its full-line, dealer and hardware stores. Additionally, Craftsman programs benefit NASCAR's grassroots Dodge Weekly Series and its tracks. Craftsman also supports the Urban Youth Racing School in Philadelphia, a program that teaches inner city youth about motorsports opportunities while encouraging them to make the right choices in life. Sears will also create a summer internship as part of NASCAR's diversity initiative.

Anheuser-Busch, the "Official Beer of NASCAR," is title sponsor of the NASCAR Busch Series, and a visible team sponsor in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series with Dale Earnhardt Jr. New advertising featuring Earnhardt Jr. is expected this season. The company also sponsors the Bud Pole Award, is title sponsor of the Budweiser Shootout race on Feb. 7 at Daytona, and has relationships with many NASCAR tracks. On average, the company runs 10 individual NASCAR-themed promotions per year to reinforce to loyal adult beer drinkers that Budweiser is a leading supporter of motorsports.

Domino's Pizza is expanding its program in its second year as the "Official Pizza of NASCAR." At the end of 2003, Domino's solidified its relationship with Michael Waltrip, who starred in a popular Dominos commercial last year, by joining Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI) as an associate sponsor on the No. 15 NAPA Chevrolet and becoming the Official Pizza of DEI. Domino's will grow and expand its activation with at-track product sampling, NASCAR-themed events, and consumer deals based on Waltrip's finishes in 2004.

The U.S. Army, the Official Armed Service of NASCAR, returns after its 2003 rookie season and successful trackside recruitment that brought 55,000 high-quality recruitment leads. The Army's popular mobile marketing unit will appear at 23 race events in 2004. With Joe Nemechek driving the No. 01 Chevrolet, the Army has several new initiatives that will expand its NASCAR program. The Army also plans to be involved with NASCAR's diversity initiative through the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The Army's support of NCTS will expand with ads on SPEED Channel's coverage of the series.

In its fifth season with NASCAR, UPS will aim to continue to build business returns, expand brand presence and engage more than 300,000 U.S. employees for performance improvement. UPS looks toward the new season to sustain popularity for the No. 88 race team and driver Dale Jarrett. In this year's UPS Race the Truck ad campaign, Jarrett receives "proper training" from UPS drivers about what it takes to drive the big, brown truck. The award-winning fan website www.racing.ups.com continues with team coverage; the site has drawn more than 369 million hits in three years. UPS also uses NASCAR to link with its diversity and safety initiatives. UPS has awarded more than $150,000 in UPS Racing Technical Edge Scholarships for minority students attending the NASCAR Technical Institute in Mooresville, N.C. At the same time, UPS uses its NASCAR platform to reinforce its driver training program and skills that consumers -- especially young teen drivers -- can learn to improve their road performance.

Visa, the "Official Card of NASCAR," uses the sport to help its member financial institutions create a direct link to America's most loyal fan base. Visa's NASCAR partnership extends its brand presence and visibility virtually year round. The company's marketing program includes national TV, radio, print and online ads along with a sponsorship of Lowe's Motor Speedway and Daytona International Speedway. Visa creates integrated marketing campaigns to fully utilize its NASCAR partnership, support its brand position of superior acceptance, and increase card usage and preference among core NASCAR fans. With the success of Visa's Ultimate NASCAR Experience, the company is once again giving its cardholders a chance to win the Visa Ultimate NASCAR Experience in 2004. Ten winners will receive the NASCAR "weekend of a lifetime." More details are available at www.visa.com/nascar.

As NASCAR's "Official Home Improvement Warehouse" and proud sponsor of the Joe Gibbs Racing team with Tony Stewart driving the No. 20 Home Depot Chevrolet, The Home Depot enters the 2004 season with an array of exciting NASCAR sponsorship programs. A new component is HomeDepotRacing.com -- a comprehensive site devoted to Home Depot racing. Home Depot will continue to promote its program with more than 600 show car appearances and numerous visits by Stewart to stores throughout the U.S. and Canada. At trackside, Home Depot's mobile marketing vehicle will showcase Home Depot racing memorabilia and host Kids Workshop clinics for kids. Augmenting its track presence, there will be 50 Home Depot hospitality events during race weekends.

Chevrolet will again use NASCAR to showcase its nameplates. The company's vehicles -- including the Monte Carlo, Silverado and Corvette brands -- will "pace" 58 events in NASCAR's three national series. In 2004, Chevy will produce the third in a continuing series of limited-production NASCAR-themed Monte Carlos. Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon signature series edition cars were released in 2002 and 2003, respectively, with a portion of proceeds supporting various charities. This season, Chevy will continue its advertising publicizing wins for its vehicles, and will also continue its relationships with many NASCAR tracks for at-track events and activities through its local dealers groups.

In 2004, Dodge will continue to use its motorsports programs to drive traffic and sales at the dealership level. Dodge Dealers will continue to sponsor key NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and NASCAR Craftsman Truck races to help support new product launches such as the new Dodge SRT-10 pick-up, which will be the Pace Truck at the Florida Dodge Dealers 250 in Daytona along with six other races in 2004. Dodge will also increase support of its title sponsorship of the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series, which comprises more than 1,600 weekly events at nearly 70 venues nationwide.

Ford's NASCAR racing effort played a significant role last year in the launch of the 2004 Ford F-150. Ford says its race fans are excellent product ambassadors and that few resources are as effective for communicating new product news as its racing program. The company's unique "Team Ford Racing (TFR)" insider fan club recently welcomed its 200,000th member, continuing a run as the largest auto manufacturer racing fan club of its type. TFR will host events at nine NASCAR NEXTEL Cup events this year, including a program at the Daytona 500 for 200 members who win tickets. Eighty-seven percent of TFR members say they are "very interested" in NASCAR racing, and 91 percent attend one or more races per year. The www.fordracing.com website, with unique content for TFR members, ranks as the third-ranked motorsport website in the U.S. and among the top 20 sports websites overall.

Goody's Headache Powder, the "Official Pain Reliever of NASCAR," is the longest serving, non-automotive sponsor of NASCAR and second only to Goodyear Tires as NASCAR's oldest sponsor. Goody's, which signed on with NASCAR in 1977, will continue its long-running sponsorship of the Goody's "Extra Strength Award" presented to the highest-finishing eligible driver in the NASCAR Busch Series as well as the Goody's "Headache Award" presented during MRN race broadcasts to the driver/team who experiences the biggest "headache" as a result of the day's racing activities in the NASCAR Busch Series. This year, Goody's will present the "Goody's Fast Relief Zone" at five NASCAR tracks, giving fans an interactive and engaging respite. NASCAR legend Richard Petty has been the face of the product for nearly 25 years.

NASCAR Licensing will unveil many new products in 2004, most notably, licensed merchandise supporting the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. NASCAR will continue to expand its relationships with Wal-Mart, which will run its "NASCAR Fan Days" promotion from Feb. 2 - 22 in all stores, and Target, with a NASCAR spring promotion in all stores, featuring NASCAR licensed stationery and gifts, and marking Target's first all-store NASCAR promotion. A partnership with Toys 'R Us that began in 2003 continues this year. With NASCAR races now seen in more than 100 countries, NASCAR's Licensing office has formed a full-time operation dedicated to international licensing opportunities.

In 2004, the NASCAR Busch Series is expected to see up to 16 new team sponsors, including Charter Communications, U.S. Coast Guard, Clorox, Duraflame, Enzyte, Fruit Of The Loom, Lowe's Home Improvement, Unilever Bestfoods and Yum! Brands Inc., which is under the KFC, Taco Bell and Long John Silver restaurant lines.

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) added two new national sponsors to the series: GM Goodwrench (No. 6 Kevin Harvick Racing Chevrolet for driver Matt Crafton) and LINE-X (No. 24 Bang! Racing Toyota for reigning series champion Travis Kvapil). General Motors has increased its corporate presence in the NCTS with several of its companies backing No. 16 Xpress Motorsports for driver Jack Sprague, No. 46 Morgan-Dollar Motorsports for driver Dennis Setzer and No. 75 Spears Motorsports for driver David Starr.

"The companies involved in NASCAR will again in 2004 support their sponsorships more creatively and more aggressively than in any other sport," said Brett Yormark, NASCAR's Vice President of Corporate Marketing. "With new talent entering all levels of our sport, new title and fuel sponsors, and a new manufacturer in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, this year is going to see even more exciting and dramatic racing, and bring our sponsors more value."

In the most recent survey of sports properties, conducted by Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal, NASCAR ranked No. 1 in the areas that sponsors rate as the most important in determining their marketing decisions: the sport's future prospects; responsiveness to customers; fan relationships; and value provided for the money. NASCAR internal research shows that its fans are three times as likely to try and purchase its sponsors' products compared to companies not involved in NASCAR.