If you look at NASCAR like it's a consumer product, you always talk about national distribution. Literally within the last dozen years or so, NASCAR has come to L.A., Chicago, Detroit, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Miami and New Hampshire. The objective of that plan was to bring in new fans and attract more people to the sport, to market to the widest possible audience. |
Our product is close competitive racing. Our fans love the fact that on any given weekend, 20 to 25 racers have a legitimate chance to win a race. |
There is acknowledgement among the drivers, the teams, the sponsors and the fan base that in order to continue to grow, there will be some realignment in the race schedule. |
They actually support the companies that invest in stock car racing. There is that causal connection between purchase patterns and companies that invest in the sport. |
We realize it will take time to build equity and meaning into the chase. In 1967, when they held the first Super Bowl, America did not come to a halt to watch the game the way it does now. |
We're using technology to bring the fan closer to the sport. We're working with Nextel so that fans can listen in on Jeff Gordon discussing fuel strategy over their Nextel phones. |
Whenever you're in the same breath as the market leader and a brand as venerable as the NFL, that's a good thing. |