Ask not what Ask.com can do for you but what you can do for ask.com.

Confused? It's simple really, says Jim Safka, CEO of Ask.com, the Web site named NASCAR's official search engine.

“

We want make a strong presence and investment when others are battening down the hatches.

”

-- JIM SAFKA, ASK.COM CEO

If NASCAR fans use Ask.com to seek out their numerous queries then the site generates revenue to put back into the sport.

It sounds simple enough but not necessarily easy for big companies who are looking to hold on to their dollars during this economic downturn and reluctant to spend any amount of money on sports marketing.

Nevertheless, Ask.com is jumping into the sport in a big and thorough way, Safka said.

"We want make a strong presence and investment when others are battening down the hatches," he said. "When fans see a new participant in the sport doing it properly and with similar value systems, they have respect for that brand. Fans appreciate brands that support the sport especially the ones at this time."

In addition to its partnership with NASCAR, Ask.com will also be the primary sponsor for Bobby Labonte's No. 96 Ford at Hall of Fame Racing for 18 of the first 21 races and rights to 29 races this season. Through an alliance agreement, Hall of Fame Racing will operate out of the Yates Racing facility in Concord, N.C.

"I'm excited to be part of what Ask.com is bringing to our sport," Labonte said. "In a time like this, it's great to see a sponsor come in with technology and ideas that will help all of the competitors in NASCAR and enhance the experience for all of our fans, no matter which driver or team they cheer for."

Safka said talks to support Hall of Fame racing and Labonte began at the end of last season during the Homestead-Miami Speedway event.

"I was introduced to [team owners] Tom Garfinkel and Jeff Moorad through a very persistent and knowledgeable man, Eric Bechtel. As we looked to get into the sport, we met with a great many of racing teams. As you could imagine, the economy being where it is, there is no shortage of opportunities," Safka said.

"But what I ultimately found with Hall of Fame Racing, the Yates alliance and Labonte was innovation and flexibility. We needed a partner with creativity and outside-the-box thinking."

Safka said you can expect Ask.com's presence in the sport to be authentic yet new and fresh.

Related

• Labonte to drive No. 96
• Yates, Hall of Fame align
• Ask.com enters NASCAR

For starters, Labonte's paint scheme: "You'll freak out," Safka said. "It keeps me up at night. It's very creative and its fun and something Bobby is going to be really excited to climb into."

As for this season's performance, Safka's expectations appear to be cautiously optimistic. "We'll see," he said. "We are new and very humble, but we are also very competitive."

Ask.com will launch its new semantic search tool before the Daytona 500 on Feb. 15. In short, Web site users often must phrase and rephrase their search topic or query to find exactly what they are looking for. However, Ask.com's new technology will allow users to find what they are looking for the first time using its DADS, DAFS and AnswerFarm technologies on NASCAR-related searches, making the answers instantly available to fans.

Safka calls it "answers at the speed of NASCAR."

"We love it," he said. "It is how you get your information as quick as possible and you can ask plain English questions and get plain English answers."

Also under the terms of its partnership with NASCAR.COM, Ask.com will exclusively power the search functionality for the official online site of the sport.

Safka said, "Our goal is to win over the millions of loyal fans by providing them with the best NASCAR search experience on the Web, and introduce them to all of Ask's capabilities when they come."