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Editor’s note: This photo is concept only
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — It continues to be full speed ahead for the DAYTONA Rising project at Daytona International Speedway. The track’s parent company, International Speedway Corporation, announced Tuesday that Sunoco will become the speedway’s fourth “founding partner” as part of the massive redevelopment project.
The $400 million renovation or “re-imagining” of the iconic facility will now include a massive Sunoco presence, giving the longtime NASCAR partner naming rights to one of the five “injector” entry areas at the new-look facility set to debut its makeover in January 2016.
“The thing I keep thinking about is, here with Sunoco is a partner who has been in the sport for a number of years, has a lot of good things going on and now wants to expand their footprint,” Daytona International Speedway President Joie Chitwood III said. “It shows me this is working. There’s success there. For them to want to grow the relationship and invest even more in the sport, that’s a real positive for the industry.”
Added ISC Chief Executive Officer Lesa France Kennedy, “A brand synonymous with motorsports for many years, Sunoco will continue to be a great asset across the ISC enterprise, adding to the overall fan experience.”
Indeed fans will see plenty of Sunoco branding at the track. In addition to the entry naming rights, the company will have branding rights for one of the newly created 11 fan “neighborhoods” — a football field-sized area along the frontstretch with dining and souvenir areas outfitted with dozens of video screens so fans don’t miss a minute of the race action on track.
“This represents the next chapter of our long-term partnership with ISC,” Sunoco Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Cynthia Archer said in announcing the Daytona Rising relationship. “ISC is taking the motorsports experience to new heights by creating a visually compelling facility. Fans will be amazed when they see the new motorsports stadium and Sunoco’s engaging injector experience for the first time in 2016.”
Sunoco has served as the Official Fuel of NASCAR since 2004 and is the exclusive supplier of Sunoco Green E15 racing fuel for all three of NASCAR’s national series.
Sunoco joins Toyota, Florida Hospital and General Motors as founding partners on the Daytona Rising project.
“Across the board, we’re seeing people already in sport wanting to own a piece of Daytona or someone new that that says, ‘Hey, I want to be a part of Daytona, there’s a lot of exciting things happening,’ ” Chitwood said. “I like the mix right now and really think it sends a positive message for everything we’re doing with the Daytona Rising project.”