Roush Fenway makes its pitch to Red Sox Nation

Drivers at the ballpark, and a Red Sox car on the racetrack. The February merger between Roush Racing and the Fenway Sports Group will be on view for all to see this weekend, when NASCAR visits New Hampshire International Speedway.

It begins Friday, when Boston plays host to the Texas Rangers in a game that will feature show cars at Fenway Park, racing highlights on the stadium's video boards, and the team's Nextel Cup drivers throwing out ceremonial first pitches. Over at the 1-mile racetrack in Loudon, N.H., Carl Edwards will drive a No. 99 car sporting a Red Sox logo. It's all part of a public coming-out party for a partnership that's operated primarily behind the scenes -- until now.

99 Red Sox car

Roush Fenway driver Carl Edwards will sport the Boston Red Sox logo on the No. 99 Ford during this weekend's track activity at New Hampshire International Speedway.

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"What we've wanted to be careful to do is be sensitive to our fans, the Red Sox fans and people of New England. We don't want to jam anything down their throats or force-feed anything to them," said Sam Kennedy, executive vice president of the Fenway Sports Group. "But it's no secret, one of the principal reasons for getting involved with this business and this team was to try and annex all of New England, and then try and give people in New England, Boston specifically, a rooting interest in these drivers."

After three years of negotiations that began with Red Sox owner John Henry inquiring about a minority stake in the NASCAR organization, the Roush Fenway merger was completed the week of the Daytona 500 when the Fenway Sports Group -- parent company of the Red Sox -- purchased a 50 percent share in Jack Roush's race team. To Roush, the partnership provided increased sponsor opportunities in a part of the country where NASCAR isn't necessarily as well-known. To the Fenway group, it provided a national platform for an outfit limited by Major League Baseball's territorial marketing rules.

But to this point, alterations of the race team's name and insignia have been the only true outward signs of the merger. That changes this weekend when NASCAR comes to New England, and the Fenway group makes its first big pitch toward exposing Red Sox Nation to its new four-wheeled partner.

"The sport is so much more enjoyable when you have a rooting interest," Kennedy said. "If we can provide exposure and create visibility for our five Cup drivers through the microphone and stage we have of Fenway Park and the New England Sports Network, our television network, that's what we're going to try and do this weekend. We want to really give some visibility to these guys, and let the world know that we'd love all of the Red Sox fans to support the Roush Fenway drivers." (Continued)