ANKENY, Iowa -- Casey's General Stores has finalized a marketing partnership with the U.S. Modified Touring Series of auto racing.
As part of the agreement, Casey's will become the title sponsor of "The Hunt for the O'Reilly USMTS National Championship" and four O'Reilly USMTS National Tour events. Further, Casey's will be designated the Official Convenience Store of the USMTS, with marketing objectives to drive incremental sales at its stores, and it will execute brand reinforcement at O'Reilly USMTS National Tour events, including driver sponsorships and appearances.
Casey's vice [image-nocss] president of marketing Mike Richardson said, "The partnership fits very well within our marketing objectives. Many of the USMTS stops are located within our nine-state marketing area."
The Ankeny, Iowa-based retailer owns and operates more than 1,450 c-stores in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin. It operates primarily in smaller communities with populations of less than 5,000, the same towns where the majority of USMTS fans, drivers and their families reside.
The Hunt for the O'Reilly USMTS National Championship will be comprised of the final 14 to 18 races of the season, which will determine the 2008 O'Reilly USMTS National Champion. For fans, the The Hunt serves as a "playoff" for the O'Reilly USMTS National Championship.
"Casey's General Stores and their associated vendors will have a direct link to USMTS fans via onsite marketing and product placement opportunities, through activation of dedicated promotions, or by integrating USMTS events into existing promotions," said USMTS communications and marketing director Jeff Nun. "This is an important moment for the USMTS, and Casey's General Stores' involvement will help propel the series to new heights and allow us to achieve some goals that would not be possible without their support."
The deal also directly impacts drivers as Casey's and its associated vendors will become the primary sponsor of five top-level O'Reilly USMTS National Tour competitors for 10 select events each (50 races total). As such, Casey's will benefit through appearances by these drivers at local Casey's locations, as well as related branded spinoff merchandise such as apparel, die-cast, autograph cards, coupons, websites and a powerful media impression.
Separately, BP, Warrenville, Ill., has announced a three-year sponsorship within the American Le Mans Racing Series. The company announced it will become the primary sponsor of the Mazda factory-supported No. 8 Lola B07/46 entry in the LMP2 Class. The car will be driven by Jamie Bach and Ben Devlin out of the B-K Motorsports camp for the full 2008 season.
For the first time, the opening race of the 2008 American Le Mans Racing Series will feature race teams that will all use either clean diesel, E10 gasoline or E85 ethanol. The series also recently announced a "Green Racing Challenge" to be wholly supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Energy and the Society of Automotive Engineers.
BP Lubricants USA Inc. will also become a secondary sponsor on the No. 70 Castrol Syntec Mazda RX-8 in the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series.
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