It's interesting, the injuries sports fans tend to remember.

• Jimmie Johnson falling off a golf cart on boys' night out, breaking his wrist.
• Greg Biffle slipping on a fishing dock and bruising his ribs.
• Carl Edwards breaking his foot playing Frisbee.

For Edwards' primary sponsor, Aflac, the foot injury, which put him on crutches for a few weeks, was concerning to say the least. With Carl in a heated battle for a spot in the Chase, Aflac's NASCAR sponsorship team had several questions. The first concern was naturally for Carl's health. Beyond that, would he be able to race? And how effectively, with a broken foot?

Fortunately, the answer was "yes." But the irony of a rippling, muscle-bound cover boy of ESPN The Magazine's "Body Issue" getting hurt doing something as mundane as tossing a Frisbee was not lost on Aflac.

It was a terrible and untimely break of Edwards' accelerator foot going into the Chase. Yet, for his sponsor, satisfied that Carl's health was secure, it set the scene for a positive message about the products Aflac sells.

Edwards, like thousands of claimants whose experiences are not fodder for news stories, filled out a claim and got a check from Aflac in three days.

"When you are hurt or become ill, it could have a significant impact on your finances unless you are prepared for the unexpected," said Keith Farley, manager of motorsports marketing for Aflac. "Carl's accident playing Frisbee, which could happen to anyone on any given day, is a perfect illustration of why we believe everyone should consider Aflac."

"For 38 weekends a year, we have a chance to meet one fifth of America's top companies at the same time and place," said Paul Amos, president of Aflac and COO of Aflac U.S. "That makes NASCAR a productive and efficient sponsorship. All 43 teams and their sponsors are together on the race track every week."

Like NASCAR official partners such as Bank of America, DuPont and UPS, Aflac is a company that wants to reach out to not only fans but also business executives making deals in the garage. As part of The NASCAR Fuel for Business Council, an exclusive group of official partners meeting quarterly to create business opportunities, Aflac is a leader in striking deals with other NASCAR partners, including Ford, Office Depot and Cintas.

In fact, Aflac has done such a good job in the business-to-business space that NASCAR named the company its winner of the "NASCAR Fuel for Business Driving Business Award," which was presented at a NASCAR B2B Council meeting prior to the Bank of America 500 last weekend in Charlotte.

"Aflac has taken advantage of a number of exclusive assets created for them as an official partner," said Jim O'Connell, vice president of corporate marketing for NASCAR. "They've challenged NASCAR to work with them to gain new relationships, and we've created unique, customized solutions."

One of the most innovative -- and fun -- is the Aflac 200 Corporate Kart Challenge, held the past two years at Victory Lane Karting outside of Charlotte, N.C., during NASCAR All-Star festivities week.

"While most corporate networking is done on a golf course, we prefer to take people onto the track," said Norris Scott, managing director of partnership marketing and business solutions for NASCAR. "When sponsor executives strap on a helmet and get in a kart, where many drivers learned to race, it's authentic to our sport. The camaraderie built in the Aflac 200 definitely translates into positive networking for everyone."

Next up is an Aflac-sponsored luncheon in Las Vegas during Champions Week. This is no ordinary rubber chicken deal. It's a chance for Aflac to speak to one of its primary audiences -- top human resources executives. Area hotel and casino properties will be in attendance to hear how Aflac can help provide their employees with financial security and the peace of mind that comes from knowing that America's leading provider of supplemental insurance has them under their wing.

Like NASCAR, Aflac is at its heart a family business, with roots in the southeastern United States. The company was founded by the Amos brothers in Georgia in 1955. Seven years earlier, a few hundred miles south in Daytona Beach, NASCAR was born in the vision of Bill France.

Today, Brian France keeps his grandfather's dream alive in running NASCAR, much as Aflac chairman and CEO Dan Amos and president Paul Amos are aligning a large and growing enterprise around the vision of John, Paul and Bill Amos, who 55 years ago, began the process of turning an idea into the bellwether of the supplemental insurance industry.

With the help of a certain duck, Edwards, and the NASCAR Fuel for Business Council, Aflac is making the most of its involvement in NASCAR.