Indycar: 2012 Schedule…Business Realities

After months of speculation, Indycar finally released the series schedule for 2012. Currently, the schedule contains 15 events with the 16th event, the season finale, TBA and the possibility of a 17th event still present according to Indycar CEO Randy Bernard. Despite the fact that Indycar hadn’t released an official schedule, all but one event had been confirmed beforehand as individual tracks had released their schedules. The race at Texas Motor Speedway had been in question following the event in Las Vegas, but the series will return to Texas on June 9th for the typical 550K Saturday night race.

The main point of criticism of the current 15 race schedule is that only 4 races are on ovals. In scanning the comments from Facebook users on the Indycar.com schedule release, the vast majority of fans are foaming at the mouth for more ovals. If I had a dollar for every time the “oval(s)” is mentioned in the comments I would probably have enough money to give Paul Tracy the rest of the money he needs for a full-time ride next year. However, where are all of these people on race day?

Whether we like to acknowledge it or not, Indycar is a business. The series itself must function with a balanced budget just like any other company would. Randy Bernard was tasked with making the series profitable because for years the series bled millions of dollars. Sure, the schedule was full of ovals, but they were obviously not bringing in the money needed for the series to survive. Indycar couldn’t, and can’t, continue to show up at places like Kentucky and Milwaukee for only 15,000 fans to show up. The tracks lose money, the race promoters lose money, and the series loses money. Continuing down that path would certainly lead to a quick death of the series.

Credit IZOD Indycar Media Site

Let’s take for instance the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix. Although the promoter is currently having financial issues, the event was a huge success with sold-out stands, crowds of people atop downtown buildings, and a great buzz around it. Many drivers, team owners, and series critics were calling the Baltimore event the “Long Beach of the East Coast”. More importantly, the fan feedback was overwhelmingly positive. However, contrast that with the return of the Milwaukee Mile. The famed track had dismal attendance of only around 15,000 people. Sure, the weather wasn’t ideal and the Fathers Day weekend date was surely not the best, but for a track with so much history it was a sad return and embarrassing flop of an event. Even the series promoted finale in Las Vegas had disappointing attendance despite a huge promotional effort that included Indycar parade laps down The Strip, a party at Wet Republic, a celebrity poker tournament, and Fan Village located at the MGM Grand all weekend. Indycar, sponsors, and drivers gave out massive amounts of free tickets and people still didn’t show up.

Despite the initial disappointment with the 2012 schedule, the lack of ovals may turn out for the best. Currently the DW12 is quite the pig on ovals according to those that have tested it at Indianapolis, California, and Homestead, but the car is essentially good-to-go for road and street courses. The series is also on the verge of breaking even and 2012 could be the year it happens. Establishing a profitable and stable foundation to grow from will allow the series to “invest” in future races at ovals that may not be initially profitable. Couple that with the rebranding of Versus as NBC Sports starting January 2nd, a year of development of the DW12, alternative aero kits in 2013, an as yet to-be-determined new Director in Race Control, and the now obvious emphasis on ovals and more thorough scheduling of events, 2012 could prove to the be the perfect bridge season leading into a closer to “perfect” season schedule in 2013. Keep in mind tracks like Watkins Glen, Road America, and Phoenix have all expressed interest in working with the series to establish race dates for 2013.

Indycar fans have become jaded and fickle from years of disappointment, spec racing, poor decisions, “The Split”, low car counts, low attendance, and low TV ratings. It is easy to get mired in the negatives and forget about the positives. Indycar recently reported that attendance in 2011 was up 22% and TV ratings were up 28%. There will be 2 new engine manufacturers, Chevy and Lotus, joining Honda in 2012. As it stands, there could be 30 full-time teams on the grid next year and interest from sponsors, drivers, and teams is the highest it has been in many years despite the still sluggish economy. Indycar has positive momentum and huge potential to grow in the coming years. Don’t be a Debbie Downer! Support the sport you love! Show up to the nearest event if you can, or tune in on race day if you can’t. Support your favorite driver and their sponsor by buying merchandise and the sponsors products whenever possible (it’s understandable if you don’t have diabetes and have no need for a Novo Nordisk Levemir Flexpen, or can’t speak Spanish and don’t watch Telemundo…just buy t-shirts instead). I’m not going to let a schedule full of road and street courses next year get me down because it may turn out to be exactly what the doctor ordered.

Ross (@therossbynum)

The Official Indycar schedule can be found here.

Get To Know Your Driver Through His Stomach – Jimmie Johnson

credit Michael T. Myers - Queers4Gears

From time to time – I like to throw these rapid-fire gastronomical questions at a driver if I get the chance. I don’t like to interrupt folks from the traveling media who have “important” questions to ask… but once those folks are done I can sometimes sneak these questions in. I had the chance during the Banquet week in Las Vegas to ask a few drivers about their dietary habits. I will feature these over the coming weeks of the off-season. In this installment we talk to five-time NASCAR Champion Jimmie Johnson:

Question	Jimmie Johnson

Orange Juice: Pulp or No-Pulp?	no pulp

Grilled Cheese: White Bread or Wheat Bread	I prefer white, but I am trying to be healthy so let’s say wheat

Chocolate Milk Shake: w/ Chocolate Ice Cream OR w/ Vanilla Ice Cream and Chocolate Syrup	Vanilla w/ Chocolate Syrup

BBQ – Dry Rub or Sauce	Sauce

at a cookout – Hotdog or Hamburger	both

How do you like your eggs	I love eggs – mostly I eat scrambled because that’s what my daughter eats. That’s a big moment every morning in our house – we crack the eggs and she helps stir and make the eggs.

Favorite Pizza Topping	Pinapple and Canadian Bacon

Favorite Junk Food	Ice Cream

Favorite Health Food	I don’t like any health food, I eat a lot of it because they make me but I don’t like it.

Pic: Kurt Busch’s “Welcome to Phoenix Christmas Tree Sign”

Earlier this week, Kurt Busch made the drive from Charlotte down to Spartanburg, SC to sign a deal with James Finch and Phoenix Racing to pilot the #51 in 2012. Stories in the press reported that when Busch walked into the Phoenix shop Wednesday night – there was a homemade sign on the Christmas Tree with all the other nornal ornaments that said, “Dear Santa, All I want for Christmas is a great driver.” Here is a picture of that sign that greated Busch.

credit Michael T. Myers - Queers4Gears.com

Silly Season Does Not Have Time for Christmas Shopping

There really isn’t an off-season in NASCAR. While myself and most of the NASCAR Media have been on vacation – the last big deals on the table have been struck.

Earlier this week Best Buy confirmed the rumors that they were leaving Richard Petty Motorsports. Early rumors actually said that the recently fired Kurt Busch may be heading to the #43 car but Best Buy took their sponsorship dollars to Jack Roush and will be sharing space on the #99 car of Carl Edwards with a number of other associate sponsors. Next season Carl will be selling: UPS, AFLAC, Best Buy, Valvoline, Scott’s – and I am sure I am fogetting a few in there somewhere. I havn’t seen one guy shill this many products since Gene Simmons.

Turns out AJ Allmendinger is leaving the #43 and RPM and will be in KuBu’s old #22 seat at Penske with Shell/Pennzoil staying put. This will put Allmendinger in the best equipment he’s ever driven and Shell will be glad to have a driver without all the extra baggage that came with the elder Busch.

“I have always admired Roger Penske and the way his teams compete and win in every series where they race,” said Allmendinger in a press release. “It is a privilege for me to represent such iconic and respected brands as Shell and Pennzoil, AAA and Dodge. I am honored to join Penske Racing and I will do my very best to continue to build on the standard of excellence established across the organization.”

AJ has shows a ton of improvement in the Cup Series and with the cars that Penske will put under him – I expect him to be the next driver to get his first Sprint Cup Victory.

Kurt Busch also has a home in 2012. He will replace Landon Cassill in the #51 for Pheonix Racing. Fox Sports’ Lee Spencer reportedthat Busch visited the Phoenix Racing Shop on Wendesday night in Spartanburg, SC and made a handshake deal with owner James Finch. “I went to the shop, and on the Christmas tree was a sign that read, ‘All we want from Santa is a winning driver,’ ” Finch said. “We will be at the Daytona test next month and start with the (Budweiser) Shootout.

I told Kurt, ‘I won’t fire you, and you won’t quit. We’ll do whatever it takes — roll in the mud if we have to to win. I’ve worked construction all my life just so I could race and have a good time. I’ve worked with iron workers, I worked with construction workers, so working with a driver is not going to be a problem. As I said earlier, all we want to do is win”.

Kurt Busch was tweeting on Thursday about the deal saying: “I’ve had a lot of great offers come my way but racing with Finch was exactly what I was looking for. I needed some fun this year……..Old southwest tour days. Finch’s team reminds me of that. Old school racing is exactly what I was looking for.”

There are a few drivers still looking for rides: David Ragan, David Reutimann and Brian Vickers – the deals that Busch and Allmendinger signed this week took the two best remaining seats in the Cup Series. It may mean the two Davids and Vickers may be looking for rides in the Nationwide or Truck series – if they want to run with a team that is compeditive.

Lastly, I have been “out of it” this week. I am in the Carolinas for some work meetings and then will be visiting Family and Friends over Christmas. I grew up here so I literally have a full schedule trying to squeeze in visits with everyone in these few days that I am here. Sorry for the lack of posts on Queers4Gears – usually this time of year that is not a big deal….. but Silly Season just would not wait.

Get To Know Your Driver Through His Stomach – Kevin Harvick

credit Michael T. Myers - Queers4Gears

From time to time – I like to throw these rapid-fire gastronomical questions at a driver if I get the chance. I don’t like to interrupt folks from the traveling media who have “important” questions to ask… but once those folks are done I can sometimes sneak these questions in. I had the chance during the Banquet week in Las Vegas to ask a few drivers about their dietary habits. I will feature these over the coming weeks of the off-season. For starters; let’s talk to Richard Childress Racing Driver Kevin Harvick……

Question	Kevin Harvick

Orange Juice: Pulp or No-Pulp?	no pulp

Grilled Cheese: White Bread or Wheat Bread	white bread

Chocolate Milk Shake: w/ Chocolate Ice Cream OR w/ Vanilla Ice Cream and Chocolate Syrup	Chocolate Ice Cream

BBQ – Dry Rub or Sauce	Sauce

at a cookout – Hotdog or Hamburger	hotdog

How do you like your eggs	depends on my mood, sometimes over-easy but most of the time scrambled

Favorite Pizza Topping	Pepperoni

Favorite Junk Food	pack of zingers or a ding dong

Favorite Health Food	can we call Pecans health food? I was recently introduced to Kale. (ughh noise)

Kurt Busch and the Mutual Agreement

Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR

For those who still haven’t heard, Kurt Busch was released from his ride at Penske Racing this week. Both parties claim it was a “mutual agreement”. And, likely, it was. However, a “mutual agreement” in business isn’t exactly the same as one in day to day life.

In business settings, one is often given the option of exiting their position without being fired so that other companies will still look somewhat favorably on that person. If they do not take that offer (i.e. Joe Paterno) they are immediately released from their position. Also known as being fired.

In reality, Kurt Busch couldn’t afford another firing. He’d already been released from Roush Racing with a less than stellar recommendation following him. He needed to do well and be different at Penske Racing.

He didn’t and he wasn’t.

This year was some of the worst we’ve seen from the elder Busch. His temper tantrums in the car grew worse and worse as the season dragged on for the 22 team. His outbursts outside of the car? Well, no one will soon forget his treatment of Jenna Fryer (and her transcript). Or his treatment of one of the most well-respected men in the garage, Dr. Jerry Punch.

Penske has been kind enough to allow Busch to save face as much as possible by allowing him to use the “mutual agreement” line. Will it be enough? Probably not. Unfortunately for Busch, he’s now been with two of the best teams in racing and has been unable to get it together to keep the rides. He’s run off two of the best owners (and one of the best crew chiefs) in the garage. It will be difficult for Busch to convince any other top owner that he’s worth the risk.

At the end of the day, the only thing that’s going to help Kurt Busch is a mutual agreement between his brain and his mouth…to stay shut.

Indycar: The Dallara DW12′s Bad Case of Ugly

A beautiful red rose. A charming cottage on the New England coast. Britney Spears (when her weave is fixed correctly). The Mona Lisa. A Japanese zen garden. The Great Barrier Reef. The Lamborghini Miura. These are all things that are considered beautiful by the vast majority of people. We are surrounded by a world full of pretty and attractive things. But, for every beautiful and attractive thing in this world that exists, there exists something equally as ugly.

As humans, we are drawn to things that are attractive. Why do you think People Magazine puts celebrities and air brushed glamour shots on the cover of their magazine? Pretty sells. Ugly, however, does not sell. Lets take the much maligned Pontiac Aztek for example: A pseudo-SUV based upon an unliked minivan platform covered in ungainly grey plastic with enough creases, dips, waves, grates, and baubles to make even the most seaworthy pirate motion sick just staring at it. It was, and still is, hideous. It was a business disaster never meeting even the most modest sales goals set by General Motors.

I, for one, like attractive people. Let’s take Mr. Tomas Scheckter for example. Just look at that body. Even the butchest of lesbians out there have to admit that is one fine specimen of a man. Beside the fact that he is an excellent wheel man, has an aggressive yet charming personality on and off the track, and a is proven winner…he’s…hot. Again, people like pretty. Heck, if Danica Patrick was a 250lb grumpy hag that resembled Jimmy Spencer, you could be rest assured GoDaddy.com wouldn’t have her plastered on every TV set in a bikini straddling the hood of a muscle car no matter if she won every race she ever entered or not.

All that brings me to the Dallara DW12. I think Dallara naming the new Indycar after the late Dan Wheldon was a great gesture, but I have to admit that I shuddered to think that his name would be attached to such a hideous vehicle. I know many of the things that make the DW12 so awkward looking serve a functional purpose, but you can’t tell me there wasn’t a more attractive way to achieve many of the goals set forth by the ICONIC committee. In today’s world street cars have to pass a myriad of safety regulations with things like bumper heights heavily regulated, and Ferrari still makes beautiful cars. Actually, I find it almost offensive that the Italians, the same folks that have brought you the jaw-dropping Lamborghini’s, Maserati’s, Ferrari’s, and Alfa Romeo’s through the years, have presented us with the Dallara DW12.

After years of having only 1 chassis in the series, the opportunity to place Indycar at the forefront of open-wheel design wasn’t seized. Imagine Kate Winslet hyping her arrival on the red carpet of the Oscars. In the heads of fashion critics, fans, and paparazzi visions of gorgeous Vera Wang designs appear. Instead, Kate arrives in what appears to be a Wal-Mart sale rack special, sans make-up, and in serious need of some Spanx.

Not only is the DW12 dreadfully unattractive, it is performing about as good as it looks. The main issue revolves around balance and weight distribution. After one quick glance at the design, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to determine that the vehicle has too much junk-in-the-trunk. The side pods extending partially over the rear wheels have been deemed “Kardashians” by many for good reason and the rear “bumper” looks like a tacked on after thought. I’ve seen foot tall aftermarket spoilers tacked on the back of Chevy Cavaliers that look more integrated and purposeful. And, the most maddening aspect of it all is the car doesn’t have to be so homely. One glance at the Formula Nippon cars designed by Swift Engineering are proof that open-wheel cars can be gorgeous. The front wing of the Swift racers alone makes me weak in the knees. The Dallara makes me weak in the stomach.

Whether it is picking out an outfit, picking out a spouse, decorating a house, planting a flower, buying a car, or grabbing a magazine at the store, we as humans gravitate to things that are pretty and attractive. This is a lesson Indycar, and especially Dallara, needs to learn. Aren’t they supposed to be attracting fans, not scaring them away?

Ross (@therossbynum)

Pictures: NASCAR Banquet

to see ALL of the picutres click here

credit Michael T. Myers / Queers4Gears

Driver Quotes – NASCAR in Vegas

This morning after the NMPA Myers Brothers Luncheon all 12 Chase Drivers had a media availability. I didn’t have a chance to make around the entire room and talk to everyone… but here are some of the quotes: for the record I did not ask all of these questions… there was a gaggle gathered around each driver. I grabbed a few pics as well

Kevin Harvick

Question: Other team owner has said it takes about 6 months to find a rhythm with a new crew chief… any prediction on how long it will take you to find that?

Harvick: “I expect to go to Daytona and have a chance to win… that’s my expectation. I worked with Shane before in 2006 and 2007 and he’s been at the shop – so it’s not like we are brining in someone that was totally out of our system it might take a while – but for us I expect to have results right off the bat. We didn’t do this to waste six months.”

Question: Did the deal with Gil Martin just run its course?

Harvick: “I went in and asked the question, do we need to do something different. Gil has been a great leader for our team but it was time to evaluate. We had two good seasons but in the end we want to win a Championship –so it was time to evaluate. We are looking at everyone on the team and seeing who’s doing good and who’s doing bad. I don’t think anyone was doing a bad job, but we want to win a Championship. It wasn’t all about the #29, it was about RCR and what we need to do to make all three teams better as an organization. That makes my team better, Jeff’s team better and Paul’s team better – and we all need to pull together – what do we need to do (as a team) to take that next step. We also brought in Drew from Roush – they had a lot of speed in their cars and it brining kind of an outside thought process in can open up a lot of minds and new directions. It wasn’t that Gill did anything wrong or we had a fight – this is what we think is going to take in a direction to get better. This is the first big decision we have all made together.”

Jeff Gordon:

On xmas as a father. “I definitely look at a lot different now and I think that’s what makes me and my wife such a good combination for parents. She wants to see all the excitement that Christmas brings and I sit there wanting to make sure they (the kids) don’t get too spoiled and that they understand the meaning of Christmas…. That it is more than ‘I want that’ and it seems that what it (Christmas) has become. My son is getting old enough to get more of an understanding but at this point my daughter only seems to know “Elf on the Shelf” – we have used the heck out that Elf on the Shelf for parenting.

On his Best moment of 2011 – the 85^th win in Atlanta and his Worst moment…. Gordon said, “Toss up between the Brickyard and New Hampshire. New Hampshire was in the Chase and it was important for us to get that win and I think by not getting that win it shifted some momentum for us in the Chase. But at the Brickyard we were so awesome, so fast and to not win it was a big disappointment.”

Question: Where is the 85^th win poster hanging – at home or in the shop?

Gordon: “It’s in my office. Most of my trophies are at the office…. I haven’t had trophies at home for years because I was homeless for a while. But when we built the new house we put in a trophy case and I have the four Championship Trophies, three Daytona 500 trophies and four Brickyard 400 trophies, two Goodyear trophies and some helmets from over the years that are significant to me…..but everything else is at the shop in my Office.

Jimmie Johnson –

Question: What the #1 thing you need to do to get back on top next year?

Johnson: “I think we worked hard last year to get speed in our cars and on work on our pit stops – and we got that in time for the Chase – we had the speed in both areas and then we had some mistakes – I made some mistakes, we had some wrecks. We made our mistakes in The Chase and took ourselves out of it. Next we have Kenny Francis coming in with some new ideas and I feel that in ’11 we made our race team stronger – so we have the tools to win another Championship.

Question: With all the crew chiefs moving around, can you talk about your long relationship with Chad – what the length of that relationship means to you?

Johnson: “It hasn’t always been rosy for the ten years we’ve been together – but one thing we have always promised each other is that we will always be 100% honest with each other. I mean he says things that piss me off and I am sure I do the same thing to him but through all of that have developed a great relationship that’s built on the right things. We have been through some tough times but we never decided to bail on each other. At the end of the day, I am a loyal person, I am not going to give up on him and I know he’s not going to give up on me.”

Hot Carl Edwards

Question: Looking back to the time this season when your future contract was still up in the air – was it as distracting as some in the media suggested?

Edwards: “I wasn’t distracted – We were actually running really well at that time but it did take a lot of my time….it was a lot of work but it did show me that I can compartmentalize things and maybe almost help me with the racing because once got to the track I was so excited to get in the race car and not have to think about that (contact talks.) The odd thing is that it doesn’t even feel like that happened this year… it seems long ago… once it was done, it was done and I didn’t have to think about it. I was glad to have that out of the way.”

Question: Do you consider yourself the favorite to win the Chase next year?

Edwards: “Of course.”

BRAD KESELOWSKI

Question: You finished 5^th this year, what do you have to do in 2012 to improve?

Brad: “There certainly is a long list, and I know what is on the list, but I’m not sharing.”

There was also a funny exchange between NMPA President Rea White and Brad. Her name is pronounced “reee” but Brad pronounced it “ree-ah.” He apologized; they laughed and exchanged stories about people miss-pronouncing their names. Neither Brad or Rea correct people when they get it wrong.

Kyle Busch:

Question: What do you do better than Kurt and what does Kurt do better than you?

Kyle Busch: “I don’t think we both do anything very well, you know what… we both have a lot of work to do.

Question: Have you been testing and do you have plans to test the TRD engines over the off-season?

Kyle Busch: “I have not been testing. We ran it at Homestead and things felt good on it…not too much different than what we had at Joe Gibbs Racing. It’s certainly a change, hopefully for the better. Some guys are doing some testing, I think Logano mostly over the next couple of weeks.

Andy Lally:

I asked Andy to expand on a point he made in his speech when he accepted the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award. He was the only guy in the hunt for that award this year… but he said that put even more pressure on him… he wanted people (other drivers) to think he earned it and didn’t win it because he was the only guy eligible.

Lally: “It was a really tough year in regard to the Rookie Chase because there really wasn’t a rookie chase. I would have much preferred another three or four guys to race against and go through that experience with. With the recent lack of rookies coming forward there’s obvious criticism coming from everywhere and I read it all. I listen to it all but it doesn’t really affect me. I register it in my brain and put it in the back of my mind but it still sits there a little bit. But I wanted to figure out how I could make an impression on these people (other drivers) and that’s a tricky thing when there’s a lot of criticism coming from everywhere like: ‘where did this guy come from’ or ‘this guy doesn’t deserve to be here’….stuff like that. Everybody out there needs to know that I worked my ass off to get here and it was not through the traditional ladder that NASCAR drivers typically arrive from but I have had a long career and I’ve paid my dues to get to this point. I would have loved a better performance and to get more Top-Tens but it was still an amazingly magical and frustrating year to battle with these guys that have been here for years and that I have the utmost respect for.

Question: My friends that like NASCAR hate road racing and my friends that like road racing hate NASCAR….. What’s up with that?

Lally: You can find this cross-section of people in all aspect of life. All it is… the people that hate on the other side… its ignorance. They haven’t taken the time to see what it really takes to run in the front of either one of those series. It is just like any other sport… a football player doesn’t respect a guy that stands at a plate and swings a stick at a ball. When it comes down to it, we are all trying to do our best at our own particular job and they guys that make it to the top of any of those sports are amazing athletes and you have to be open minded to have an appreciation for all types of talent. There are fans of both that can sorta cross-pollinate each other… and can appreciate the aspects of what each other do. Having done both… even before I did both I just knew the guys out front are extremely talented.

Toyota Honored With 2011 NASCAR Marketing Achievement Award

Toyota was honored with the 2011 NASCAR Marketing Achievement Award today at the NASCAR NMPA Myers Brothers Awards held at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino. Toyota’s Sponsafier, PitPass and Owners Hospitality campaigns, among many others, directly engaged millions of NASCAR fans through the implementation of an integrated social media campaign as well as an at-track fan activation display.

Each year, NASCAR recognizes an industry partner who has exemplified the spirit of NASCAR through integrated marketing campaigns for all racing fans, consumers and employees.

“In its eighth year as an official partner, Toyota is executing multiple NASCAR branded advertising and social media campaigns to complement their at-track activation programs that allow them to engage fans throughout the season” said Jim O’Connell, vice president and chief sales officer for NASCAR. “Toyota is raising the bar for fan activation with its Sponsafier and PitPass program, not only in NASCAR but in all of sports.”

“Toyota is honored to receive the NASCAR Marketing Achievement Award,” said Ed Laukes, vice president of marketing communications and motorsports for Toyota. “Our commitment to becoming a champion of the fans by providing the best fan experience possible has truly paid off. Our in-vehicle experiences and opt-in rates are more successful at NASCAR events than any other ride and drive deployment we execute all year. We thank NASCAR for its continued support, and look forward to increasing fan interaction and excitement even more during the 2012 season.”

Toyota’s online consumer engagement contest, Sponsafier, returned in 2011 with a new website, as well as TV, print, radio and online advertisements that featured Toyota NASCAR drivers Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin. Sponsafier allowed fans to create a custom Toyota Camry Sprint Cup Series car and enter for a chance to spend time with their favorite Toyota NASCAR driver. The campaign generated 220,000 registered users and three million page views to go along with 63,000 designs submitted and more than 400,000 fan votes gathered.

The Sponsafier 3 winning design incorporated the “Chelsea’s Hope Foundation” logo in hopes of raising awareness about Lafora Disease. A charity event was held shortly after the selection in Sonoma, Ca. during Infineon Race Weekend to help raise funding for Lafora Disease research.Toyota’s PitPass program featured 20,000 square feet of fan activations that included a NASCAR technical garage, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Camry cutaway car, NASCAR photo booth, Toyota driver appearances and a full range of Toyota vehicles on display. Toyota captured the data and established an ongoing dialogue with fans after each event by registering more than 40,000 fans at their 2011 PitPass exhibit.

Toyota proudly executed several additional NASCAR marketing initiatives in 2011, including:

More than 5,500 fans participated in Toyota’s Ride and Drive program at an onsite opt-in rate of 75%.

Over 13,000 race fans took advantage of Owner’s Hospitality, which was an exclusive, pre-race hospitality experience for Toyota, Lexus and Scion owners located in the vendor midway.

Toyota provided more than 300 vehicles for use at NASCAR events in the form of pace cars, driver introduction vehicles, grand marshal vehicles, and fire and safety vehicles.

Launched the completely redesigned 2012 Camry via live webcast and included the unveiling of the 2012 Daytona 500 pace car with special guest, Denny Hamlin.

Toyota’s Daytona 500 partnership and position as 2012 Official Pace Car was communicated in over 500 million paid media impressions.

Toyota has run its NASCAR Daytona 500 Camry ad almost 1,000 times in non-NASCAR related programming, including the World Series.

Toyota Racing’s website reached more than one million unique visitors in 2011 thanks to the creation of unique content that can only be found at ToyotaRacing.com

Previous winners of the NASCAR Marketing Achievement Award include: Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola, ESPN, Fox/TNT/NBC, Gillette, K-mart, Office Depot, Sprint, Nationwide Insurance and The Home Depot.

[ credit NASCAR Media Group ]

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NASCAR and MotorSports – From a Queer Perspective

Monthly Archives: December 2011