Military Hero To Get NASCAR Naming Rights Courtesy of Crown
Since 2007, as part of its sponsorship with Richmond International Raceway, Crown Royal has signed over the naming rights to the winner of an essay contest on crownroyal.com. This year, Crown Royal will honor one military service member with title sponsorship of the Your Name Here 400.
As part of the Crown Royal “Your Name Here” 400 contest, five finalists from various branches of the armed services have been selected to receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Daytona to participate in a ceremony to unveil the winner, as well as attend the historic Daytona 500. The finalists are:
Heath Calhoun, Army (retired), Clarksville, Tenn.
Chris Dempsey, Army National Guard, Yuma, Ariz.
Rick Hudson, Navy, Gulfport, Miss.
Georgia Powell, Air National Guard, Harrisburg, Pa.
Brian Speach, Army National Guard, Clifton Park, N.Y.
This marks the first time in the four-year history of the Crown Royal “Your Name Here” program that only military service members were chosen as finalists. It also signifies the first time that fans will be able to cast their votes on www.crownroyal.com for whose name they think should be incorporated into the annual Cup Series event in Richmond. All the finalists were nominated by their family, friends or fellow soldiers for their ability to demonstrate the core values of the military in performing a selfless act that made them a hero.
Earlier today, Crown Royal also announced that it will extend primary sponsorship for Matt Kenseth and the No. 17 Sprint Cup Series Team to 35 races in 2010.
“Crown Royal is fully committed to showing its support for military individuals that serve our country and the entitlement in Richmond is the perfect platform for us to elevate our support to the next level,” said Rob Mason, Senior Brand Manager, Crown Royal. “This year’s finalists are truly first-class individuals that have accomplished amazing feats while they were serving overseas or at-home. We look forward to recognizing all their achievements to ensure they truly feel like Royalty throughout their time in Daytona.”
Fans of legal drinking age can visit the Crown website to read a complete background on the finalists and to cast a vote.
“Richmond International Raceway couldn’t be more excited to be a part of this program with Crown Royal each season,” said Doug Fritz, President, Richmond International Raceway. “Allowing fans to select the winner is a great way for Crown Royal to highlight all the truly touching stories of this year’s finalists. We look forward to honoring another amazing individual with everything we do during the race in May.”
The winner will be announced from Daytona on February 12 with all the finalists, NASCAR driver Matt Kenseth and representatives from Crown Royal and Richmond International Raceway on hand.
