Blockbuster Still Exists And It Has A New Sponsorship Deal To Prove It

Nevermind the fact that Blockbuster's retail footprint is fading faster than Lance Armstrong's endorsement potential, the beleaguered movie and game rental chain hasn't stopped sponsoring sports. Bought by DISH out of bankruptcy in 2011, Blockbuster has agreed to sponsor the Front Row Motorsports' No. 35 Ford with Josh Wise for the Sprint Cup Series season-opening Daytona 500 this weekend.

“Blockbuster is excited to be part of the Front Row Motorsports team and NASCAR’s ‘Great American Race,’” said Mitch Weinraub, Product VP at Blockbuster, LLC. “We are proud to play a lead role in bringing Josh Wise, a new and promising driver, to the premier racing circuit.”

Faced with stiff competition from Netflix and video streaming services, Blockbuster closed 500 of its 1,700 stores last year alone. Last month, DISH announced that it would close an additional 300 U.S. stores and let go of about 3,000 employees in 2013.

Faced with such difficulties the deal may come as curious to some, but Wise says he's excited about the team's newest partnership.

“It’s pretty cool to have Blockbuster on the car for such a huge event,” Wise said. “With the new cars and the new qualifying format that NASCAR has implemented, all eyes are going to be on Daytona this week. We’re happy that Blockbuster realized the potential of partnering with Front Row Motorsports for the biggest race of the year.”

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