NASCAR Marketing Push to Target Colleges to Attract Young, Up-Market Fans

Amy Tokic
by Amy Tokic
Denny Hamlin leads a pack of cars during the race. Denny's regular FedEx paint scheme was different at Texas Motor Speedway to honor March of Dimes and was designed by a 9 year-old boy who received support from the charity when he and his twin brother were born premature. The car looked really good under…

NASCAR is off to college. No, they won’t be enrolling in any classes – the racing circuit is on campus in hopes of recruiting a new generation of upmarket fans.

If you’re off to school next week, be on the lookout for the NASCAR U CREW. These “brand ambassadors” will be visiting 12 college campuses to host events and garner interest for local racing tracks. A joint effort with University Directories On Campus, NASCAR is targeting 12 schools that are located close to a Sprint Cup race being held this fall. A few colleges and the corresponding races include the University of New Hampshire and the Loudon race on September 25; University of Delaware and Dover on October 2; and University of Miami and Florida International and Homestead on November 20.

According to NASCAR CMO Steve Phelps, he believes that the “U CREW” will give “our current fans the avenue to express their passion and our future fans the vehicle to experience the sport.”

The NASACAR U CREW ambassadors will be holding 10 events on campus, as well as participating in other promotional activities. They will be offering special ticket packages, hospitality and tailgating events on race days.

NASCAR will have its work cut out – many colleges tend to have a focus on football and related events. Do you think that NASCAR’s promotion will attract new fans? Let us know in the comments section below.

[Source: Media Post]

Amy Tokic
Amy Tokic

More by Amy Tokic

Comments
Join the conversation
Next