This weekend's Cup race literally goes the extra mile

By Ron Lemasters, NASCAR.COM
June 25, 2008
02:27 PM EDT

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Going the extra mile is, in NASCAR-speak, code for having more fuel than your rivals.

To LENOX Industrial Tools, title sponsor of this weekend's race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, it's just how they do things on a daily basis. On Sunday, the company will, quite literally, go that extra mile in the LENOX Industrial Tools 301.

"Going the extra mile, at LENOX, is something we don't take lightly," said Eric Pinkham, vice-president of sponsorship and event marketing for LENOX parent company Newell Rubbermaid. "Companies have slogans and mantras, but this is something that drives LENOX and has driven the company for years. We go the extra mile, whether it's employees, customers, distributors, communities, charities or whatever, it's something we always talk about."

LENOX, a leading manufacturer of premium power tool accessories, torches, solder and band saw blades, is based in East Longmeadow, Mass., which is not very far from New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Its 600-plus employees make the company roughly the same size as Hendrick Motorsports, just one of the many NASCAR teams that will race Sunday.

But bigger isn't always better, as they say, and LENOX definitely fits that adage.

The 301 came about as a way for LENOX to leverage its corporate philosophy, and at the same time make a difference in its community, which is the NASCAR community.

"Our highest-profile marketing investment is the LENOX Industrial Tools entitlement at New Hampshire, and we said, 'wow, one lap equals one mile, NHMS is the Magic Mile, what a literal way to go the extra mile.' We can add an extra mile to promote this motto that drives all that we do.

"We took that literal interpretation and said, 'let's go that extra mile, physically.'"

LENOX also went a bit farther -- NHMS is, in fact, 1.058 miles in length -- with the announcement of the LENOX Extra Mile Heroes Contest, an interactive program where fans nominate everyday heroes in their own communities. The winner of the contest could receive up to $500,000, with a matching amount to the charity of their choice.

"In a day when it's 'send your text message and win,' or 'look under the cap and win,' those might be fun, but they don't really get at the heart of what is driving people and businesses. For our end users, particularly, you need something much more sincere and relevant, and this came together nicely," Pinkham said.

Add to it the fact that NHMS is in the middle of a strong market for LENOX, and you have the perfect melding of opportunity and activation.

Fast facts

What	LENOX Industrial Tools 301
When	Green, 2:16 p.m. ET Sunday
TV	TNT, 12:30 p.m. ET
Radio	MRN (Sirius Ch. 28), 1:30 ET

• Track Page | Tickets | Travel

"It's a great market for us anyway and most of the grassroots activation we do in New England is spot-on," Pinkham said. "You have hardcore race fans, appreciative of the history behind NHMS, it's the largest single-day sporting event in New England ... that's a perfect fit.

"Then you have that magical piece of NASCAR that is going to take that message, that event and all that's good about it and project into nine million homes on Sunday. That's why we first entered the sport, to take something so meaningful, relevant and powerful and just magnify it."

Pinkham said research has shown that a full 27 percent of NASCAR fans use tools on the job, and that makes NASCAR a prime target for a company like LENOX.

"That's an extraordinary number," Pinkham stated. "It's a wonderful fit for a company like LENOX. We don't make hammers. We make hardcore industrial tools, torches, saw blades, that kind of thing. It's mainly the activation opportunities that exist in NASCAR that put it ahead of other major sports."

In a region that boasts the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots, that's a key niche for NASCAR and the companies who utilize it.

Jeff Burton will drive the LENOX-sponsored No. 31 Chevrolet in the race as well.

"I am proud to be part of the LENOX team and the efforts they are making to recognize the everyday heroes among us," Burton said. "The donation to the winner's charity of choice is definitely going the extra mile for their customers."

The fact that New Hampshire has new owners is an expansion of an already solid corporate relationship between Speedway Motorsports Inc. and Newell Rubbermaid, Pinkham said.

"SMI coming into the picture is making it exponentially more powerful," he said of the race sponsorship. "It was good before, but it's better now. There is a wonderful relationship there. This is our second race entitlement with them; we have the Sharpie 500 at Bristol, so knowing that team, knowing how to work together ... it's a wonderful, warm fit."

The LENOX Extra Mile Heroes contest runs through Dec. 15, 2008 and 10 finalists will be named in January 2009. All 10 finalists will attend next year's LENOX Tools 301, and should Burton win the race, the prize will bump from $31,000 to $500,000 for the winner. For more information, click here.