Official Technology Partner of NASCAR to sponsor Aug. 2 race
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Pocono Raceway and Microsoft, an Official Technology Partner of NASCAR, announced Tuesday that the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race scheduled for Aug. 2 will be named the Windows 10 400. The event will be held two days after the launch of Windows 10 when the new operating system will be offered as a free upgrade to customers with qualified Windows 7 and Windows 8 devices.
"Today is an exciting day for us," Pocono Raceway President/CEO Brandon Igdalsky said in a track release. "Microsoft has been on the cutting edge of technology and innovation since its founding in 1975. The launch of their Windows 10 platform is something Pocono Raceway is extremely proud to promote during our final NASCAR race weekend of 2015. We look forward to celebrating with everyone from Microsoft, NASCAR and, most importantly, the race fans on Sunday, August 2nd."
The sponsorship deal is the second new title-sponsor partnership for Pocono Raceway this year. In January, the track announced a deal with Axalta Coating Systems as title sponsor of its Sprint Cup race in June.
Martin Truex Jr. prevailed in the 2.5-mile triangular track's first Sprint Cup event of the year. The Furniture Row Racing driver will be aiming to replicate Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s 2014 season sweep in next month's 400-miler.
Earnhardt Jr., the defending winner of the event, will drive the No. 88 Microsoft Chevrolet SS. He debuted a Microsoft paint scheme last month at Sonoma Raceway, finishing seventh at the California road course.
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"We're thrilled to build on our relationships with NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports by engaging race fans in unique ways," GM of Windows Product Marketing at Microsoft Jeremy Korst said in the track release. "We're upgrading their experiences not only at the Pocono Windows 10 400 race, but also off the track with Windows 10. It's the best Windows ever. In fact, we built it in collaboration with our fans -- over 5.5 million Windows Insiders. And we're excited to offer a free upgrade, so that people all over the world can use Windows 10 to do great things."
Pocono's Fan Fair and paddock areas will have displays and interactive experiences for fans and members of the NASCAR industry to relax and enjoy Windows 10 devices while interacting on social media with the hashtag #Windows10_400.