NASCAR Sees the Light! At Least on this Issue.

NASCAR finally announced a welcomed change to its race format with the addition of “Double-File Restarts – Shootout Style” throughout each race. Beginning with this weekends race at Pocono Raceway, the first- and second-place drivers will line up side-by-side as the green flag flies for each restart.

“We’ve heard the fans loud and clear: ‘double-file restarts – shootout style’ are coming to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France. “This addition to the race format is good for competition and good for the fans.”

“I’m excited about it,” said two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart. “The good thing is that when they drop the green, you’re going to be racing with the guys you’re racing for position instead of trying to clear lapped cars.

“Since NASCAR has adapted the ‘free pass’, I think that’s something that now justifies being able to put those lapped cars to the back and let them race with each other, and let the guys who are racing on the lead lap do the same. I’m behind NASCAR 100% on this.”

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick said, “I think it’s great that NASCAR is listening to the fans. These new restart procedures are going to make our sport even more exciting than it already is. This will not only benefit the lead lap cars, but also the cars that go a lap down, so you get the best of both worlds.”

NASCAR recently used the “double-file” format for its non-points NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, which produced an unpredictable finish. The format will be adapted for the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in the near future. Under the previous format, cars on the lead lap would restart in a single-file line while cars that had been lapped would start in a line next to them.

Under the new format, the race leader will have the option to restart on the inside or outside lane. The second-place driver would then restart next to the leader. Regardless of where the leader starts, drivers in odd number positions (3rd, 5th, 7th places, etc.) will restart on the inside lane, while drivers in even number positions (4th, 6th, 8th places, etc.) will restart on the outside. All restarts will use the same format regardless of the number of laps remaining in the race.

The first-place driver will continue to control the timing of restarts in a designated zone on the track. Likewise, cars are to stay in line until they reach the start/finish line. The first eligible car a lap or more down will continue to earn one lap back following a caution, which is known as the “free pass.” However, a new element beginning this week will be that the “free pass” will remain in effect the entire race.

Lapped cars choosing to remain on the track will be “waved around” the caution car and will restart the race in respective track position, thus picking up a lap to the leader provided the leader also pits. This will also remove lapped cars from behind the pace car, allowing the leaders to take the green without interference.

For this race fan, I can tell you that this was a fantastic move and should bring an additional level of excitement to every race going forward.

Way to go NASCAR! Thank you for listening to your fans!

Want to see more of Junior? You’re Gonna!

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and JR Motorsports to be featured in Nationwide Insurance 2009 marketing campaign!

And, NASCAR Nationwide Series sponsor introduces ‘Nationwide Insurance Dash 4 Cash’ and NASCAR Nationwide Series ESPN ‘Driver Pick ’Em’ game at media day

Charlotte, NC — Nationwide Insurance announced today at NASCAR Nationwide Series media day that NASCAR racing superstar, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his company JR Motorsports will be featured in a new marketing campaign that will begin in February.

The company also introduced other activities related to the sponsorship, including the Nationwide Insurance Dash 4 Cash, which involves an increased winner’s purse at four NASCAR Nationwide Series races, and the NASCAR Nationwide Series ESPN ‘Driver Pick ’Em’ game presented by Nationwide Insurance, a weekly interactive competition for cash prizes that will be available on ESPN.com

Nationwide’s partnership with Earnhardt Jr. and JR Motorsports, the company he owns that fields NASCAR Nationwide Series teams, will include TV and radio advertising. In the ads, Earnhardt Jr. talks about his family’s 30-year history with Nationwide. Earnhardt Jr, is a current Nationwide customer – as are many other members of his family. The campaign will also involve personal appearances with Earnhardt Jr. and JR Motorsports driver, Brad Keselowski.

“My family has been with Nationwide for three generations,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “When they asked me to appear in the campaign I knew it was a good fit because I’ve always appreciated the relationship our family has had with our Nationwide agent. The service we have received as customers has been outstanding.”

Nationwide has created an interactive micro site, nationwide.com/dalejr, which will feature behind the scenes videos and photos from the recent ad shoot. The final ads will be available on this site in mid-February

The campaign is a departure from previous Nationwide ads featuring celebrities. Despite the obvious opportunity for a racing pun, the ad does not include the company’s famous Life Comes at You Fast line and is not intended to be humorous. It’s framed as a customer testimonial, and true story from a family with one of the richest traditions in NASCAR.

“When we considered our approach for 2009 the Earnhardt family’s long history with Nationwide presented us with a great opportunity to talk about how many of our customers stay with us for a lifetime,” said John Aman, associate vice president of sponsorships for Nationwide

“This is a serious time for Americans,” Aman said. “People are worried about the economy, their jobs, and their retirement plans – so we didn’t want to make a joke. We felt like this was an opportunity to tell an honest story about a real family who has been with Nationwide for generations because they appreciate the service and value Nationwide provided. This family just happens to include some of the greatest race car drivers ever.”

In years past, Nationwide has featured celebrities like Kevin Federline and Fabio during the Super Bowl.

“We’ve had success in building buzz with Super Bowl ads in the past,” Aman said. “At this point in time, we’re focused on developing a deeper relationship with NASCAR’s very loyal fan base as the official provider of auto, home and life insurance and through this new partnership with JR Motorsports.”

Nationwide Insurance Dash 4 Cash
Nationwide also introduced the ‘Nationwide Insurance Dash 4 Cash’ that will add $25,000 to the winner’s purse at the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series races at Nashville Superspeedway Kentucky Speedway,  Iowa Speedway and Memphis Motorsports Park. Drivers eligible for this competition include full-time NASCAR Nationwide Series drivers and series regulars who are not full-time drivers on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. If a driver who is not eligible wins one of the races, prize money will be rolled over to the next race in the competition. The program also includes a $50,000 season-end bonus to the eligible driver with the highest points total over the four races.

“We wanted to provide some additional support for drivers on our series,” said Aman. “We also hope that these bonuses encourage competition and contribute to more exciting racing for the fans.”

ESPN ‘Driver Pick ’Em’ presented by Nationwide Insurance
The Nationwide ‘Driver Pick’ Em’ contest is an interactive weekly contest on ESPN.com. Fans can log-in weekly to select the winners of 10 head-to-head match-ups for each NASCAR Nationwide Series races. The contest will include cash prizes for weekly and season-long winners.

ABOUT JR MOTORSPORTS:
JR Motorsports is the management company and racing operation for Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR’s most popular driver and winner of more than 40 NASCAR-sanctioned races. JR Motorsports competes in multiple racing divisions, including the NASCAR Nationwide Series. In 2008, JRM enjoyed a breakout season with four Nationwide Series victories between its two teams. The JR Motorsports facilities are based out of Mooresville, N.C., and include the JR Nation retail store, Dale Jr. Fan Experience, Hammerhead Entertainment, and DEJ Realty. For more information on JR Motorsports, visit www.dalejr.com.

About Nationwide:
Nationwide, based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the world.  Nationwide ranks #108 on the Fortune 500 list.  The company provides a full range of insurance and financial services, including auto insurance, motorcycle, boat, homeowners, life, farm, commercial insurance, administrative services, annuities, mortgages, mutual funds, pensions, long-term savings plans and health and productivity services. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com.

Thank you to Hope Patterson, Nationwide Corporate Communications, for this information.

NASCAR Nationwide Series Year-End Video

The 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series may be over, but Nationwide has a couple of items that may be of interest to you.  A big thanks to Nancy Smeltzer at Nationwide Insurance for sharing the following.

Nationwide has exclusive footage of moments to remember from the 2008 season from Daytona to Homestead. The Year-End Video contains some great highlights from the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series.

Also available is the NASCAR Nationwide Series Browser to bring the NASCAR racing experience to your desktop.  This custom theme is available for the Firefox browser. It is outfitted with a toolbar and bookmarks folder featuring NASCAR Nationwide Series links.

Enjoy!

Remember, just 60 days till Daytona!

Clint Bowyer’s Day at Nationwide Headquarters

Here are some more pictures provided by our wonderful friend Nancy Smeltzer at Nationwide Insurance. The photos are from Clint Bowyer’s visit to Columbus, Ohio, Nov. 18, 2008, to celebrate his 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nancy501s/sets/72157610623793008

Here’s a brief rundown of how his day transpired:

• First stop was at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital to visit many patients and their families.

• Then Clint headed over to the Nationwide Headquarters in downtown Columbus to meet Nationwide executives and associates. He talked to fans, answered their questions, signed autographs and posed for pictures during a reception in the lobby.

• The final pit stop was at the Nationwide Arena where he was the guest of honor at a National Hockey League game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Edmonton Oilers.

Enjoy.  And remember, only 73 days till Daytona!!!

2008 NASCAR Nationwide Champions Celebration Photos

The 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Champions were honored in Naples, Florida just prior to Thanksgiving. Here are some photos from the weekend event provided by our good friend Nancy Smeltzer at Nationwide Insurance (Credit to Getty Images).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nancy501s/sets/72157609989523792/