NASCAR teams,
Armed Services offer 'Tribute to Freedom'
HAMPTON, Ga.
(March 12, 2000)
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One of the biggest and farthest-reaching NASCAR-themed special promotions ever was announced during pre-race ceremonies for Sunday's Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway -- and it's a program that will be of particular interest to collectors of NASCAR memorabilia.
All five branches of the U.S. Armed Forces have come together to target NASCAR fans in support of their recruiting efforts through a special project. The theme for the highly-anticipated promotion is "Tribute to Freedom in the Millennium."
Action Performance Companies, Inc.; Jay Howard Events, Inc.; five NASCAR Winston Cup drivers; their teams; and respective sponsors developed the program, which features race cars specially painted with military service branch themes.
The cars were unveiled during an elaborate pre-race show choreographed by Jay Howard Events. The entertainment extravaganza included a skydiving exhibition by the U.S. Army Silver Wings Parachute Team, musical performances by the Band of the Air Force Reserve and fly-by aircraft demonstrations.
General (retired) Colin Powell, Grand Marshal of the Cracker Barrel 500, was among high-ranking military VIPs who gathered at the start/finish line to shake hands with drivers Mike Skinner, Bobby Hamilton, Ricky Rudd, Dale Jarrett and Jerry Nadeau as each brought their military-themed cars on-track for the very first time.
All five Tribute to Freedom in the Millennium cars will make their race debuts on Memorial Day weekend at the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.
Here's a quick look at the pairings:
Army: Mike Skinner No. 31 Richard Childress Racing/Lowe's Chevrolet Monte Carlo;
Products will also be sold in U.S. military-base exchange stores.
"Action Performance is proud to bring such an impressive group of champion drivers, teams and sponsors together to help support recruitment for our nation's Armed Forces," said Fred Wagenhals, Action Performance chairman, president and CEO. "Corporate motorsports sponsorships and special marketing programs work extremely well for building awareness and brand loyalty with consumers.
"I think NASCAR is a perfect opportunity for the Armed Forces to increase awareness and get recruitment messages out there to large numbers of people whose level of patriotism is as strong as their passion for auto racing. With the cars racing on Memorial Day weekend as a Tribute to Freedom, it's something we can all feel really good about."
A portion of the proceeds from the program will be donated to the Speedway Children's Charities Foundation. Retired U.S. Air Force Major General Thomas M. Sadler, executive director of the Foundation, was instrumental in coordinating the Tribute to Freedom in the Millennium project.
"Across all of the Armed Services, recruitment is extremely important for sustaining the numbers of people who are trained to serve and protect our great nation," said General Sadler. "Action Performance brought the drivers, race teams and corporate sponsors together, and I proudly served as their military liaison.
"Through my work with the Speedway Children's Charities Foundation, I have seen motorsports' popularity grow to become the largest spectator sport in the nation, and hundreds of thousands of fans root for their favorite drivers and teams every weekend.
"This program is a way for NASCAR fans to respectfully pay tribute to military veterans and the men and women on active duty, and to root for the best team of all time -- the United States Military Service Corps."
The Tribute to Freedom in the Millennium promotion has generated a tremendous amount of interest among fans and participants alike -- and the collectibles aspect of the program represents a large part of that interest.
"Tribute to Freedom in the Millennium is going to afford plenty of collecting opportunities in the form of die-cast from Action and Hasbro, as well as apparel and other items," said Bill Seaborn, director of marketing for Robert Yates Racing. "This program appeals to a broad cross section of collectors. You'll have people who collect the whole set of cars, as well as those who only collect their favorite driver. And you'll have your traditional racing collectors, as well as folks who have a special affinity to a certain branch of the armed forces."
Seaborn adds that offering Tribute to Freedom in the Millennium collectibles in military-base exchange stores gives the merchandising end of the program an even wider spectrum.
"That's a unique concept," he acknowledged, "and, from what I've heard, the response from those base exchange stores has been very positive. That could take NASCAR collectibles into new venues and bring more people into the hobby. Tribute to Freedom in the Millennium is a huge program all the way around, and we are very proud to have Dale Jarrett, Ricky Rudd, Robert Yates Racing and all of our sponsors involved."
Arrival of the first wave of Tribute to Freedom in the Millennium product is being eagerly awaited. Collectibles and souvenirs will be available by Coca-Cola 600 week -- possibly sooner in some cases. So be sure to keep an eye peeled to the NASCAR Online Store for Tribute to Freedom in the Millennium merchandise.