Daytona 500 Champ Kevin Harvick to Join Governor for Atlanta Motor Speedway Day
March 15, 2007
Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil car and the 2007 Daytona 500 Champion, will be among numerous honored guests attending a proclamation ceremony to be held at 11:45 am at the Georgia State Capital in downtown Atlanta on Thursday, March 15, 2007. Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue will show his support for motorsports in the state by proclaiming March 15th Atlanta Motor Speedway Day.
With an annual economic impact of $455 million in the state of Georgia, Atlanta Motor Speedway, an 870-acre facility in Hampton, Georgia, is the state’s largest sports facility. The track hosts various motorsports events including two NASCAR Nextel Cup events yearly.
Not only do the spectacular racing facilities like Atlanta Motor Speedway provide a huge economic and social boom to a community, they also set the stage for professional motorsports programs to succeed.
There are a reported 75 million NASCAR fans that make up a healthy consumer base that appeals to sponsors. Not only do these companies utilize their NASCAR partnerships to reach fans and consumers about their products, but sponsors frequently turn the race track into a research lab to develop and improve these products.
For example, Shell is the sponsor of Richard Childress Racing (RCR) and Kevin Harvick featuring both the Shell and Pennzoil brands on the No. 29 team. The technical partnership will enable the Pennzoil brand to utilize race track experience to develop innovative product testing, as well as a platform for off-track marketing initiatives for a number of Shell brands.
Pennzoil is utilizing the Richard Childress Racing sponsorship as an opportunity for success on and off the track. Many sponsors are looking for brand recognition, but Pennzoil is expecting more than just a brand awareness campaign. This sponsorship will provide a technical partnership platform between RCR and Pennzoil engineers working closely throughout the season to develop motor oil formulations that will maximize power and engine reliability for the team.
“Pennzoil offers some of the most advanced and reliable motor oils available, and we look forward to the technological leadership and innovation Pennzoil will provide our team,” said Richard Childress, president and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. “Many sponsors utilize their relationships with NASCAR teams to produce, test, and improve their products. Pennzoil, General Motors and Goodyear are examples of companies that put this theory to work every week we are at the track.”
Coinciding with this week’s NASCAR events at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Shell will be featuring their “Passionate Experts” Experiential Tour at the Atlanta Auto Show at the Georgia World Congress Center. The tour features interactive exhibits, games and a chance for fans to be a star with Harvick in their own videos. The tour’s other features include a “Future of Energy” exhibit that provides a look into alternative energy resources of today and tomorrow, educational bio-fuel displays, and an historical look at the successful motorsports heritage of Shell dating back to the 1920s.
