Pepsi To Serve As Title Sponsor For Auto Club Speedway's Fall Sprint Cup Race

Auto Club Speedway has announced a multi-year agreement with Pepsi to serve as the title sponsor for the Speedway’s fall NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race.  The race which traditionally takes place at the end of the Labor Day weekend and this year will run on August 31, 2008 will now be known as the Pepsi 500.  In addition to its role as the title sponsor of the race, Pepsi will continue to serve as the “official soft drink and non-alcoholic beverage provider” of the Speedway, a designation the brand has held since 1997.

 

“Through this relationship with Pepsi we are aligning this race with a global brand that has had a presence in our sport for many decades. They place a huge focus on their racing program by partnering with premier names like Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr and now Auto Club Speedway,” said Gillian Zucker, President of Auto Club Speedway.  “Pepsi’s presence in the entertainment world, provides us with one more unique way to enhance the Auto Club Speedway fan experience.”

 

Pepsi will bring new excitement to Auto Club Speedway with this title sponsorship by expanding the entertainment beyond the competition on the track.  In addition to the race, the Pepsi 500 will include a special Pepsi Smash concert featuring top musical artists and unique on-site activities throughout the weekend to entertain the fan.

 

The first fan enhancement brought by Pepsi will be the introduction of several Hydration Stations set up at the Speedway.  These stations will feature a lower price point on Aquafina water to assist thirsty fans throughout the race weekend.  These stations will be located in the Opportunity, California FanZone by Apex and between sections 30-40 and 31-41.

 

“The Pepsi 500 will be a three-day event unlike any other race on the calendar,” said Ralph Santana, VP of sports, media and interactive marketing, Pepsi-Cola North America.  “To celebrate being in the state where Jeff Gordon has such deep

roots, we’re going to bring a little Hollywood to the race weekend with a Pepsi Smash concert and other innovative entertainment events that we know the fans will enjoy.”

 

Pepsi is a major associate sponsor and “Official Soft Drink” of Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet.  Gordon has been associated with Pepsi-Cola since 1997 and remains its most longstanding spokesperson.

 

Auto Club Speedway’s partnership with Pepsi dates back to the track’s inaugural season of1997 when the brand served as a founding partner.  Since that time, Pepsi has also served as the track’s “official soft drink and non-alcoholic beverage provider”.

 

In addition to official sponsor designations, Pepsi will also receive several advertising and promotional opportunities including branded signage throughout the track.

 

The Pepsi 500 Weekend, featuring the Camping World 300 Presented by RVs.com (Nationwide Series race) and the Pepsi 500 (Sprint Cup Series race) will take place at Auto Club Speedway over the weekend of August 29-31, 2008.

 

 

About California Speedway

To purchase tickets to the Auto Club 500 or Pepsi 500 weekends at Auto Club Speedway, please call 800-944-RACE or log on to www.racetickets.com.  The 2008 Auto Club 500 weekend will mark the highly anticipated Southern California debut of the Car of Tomorrow and will feature a special pre-race concert by blues rock legends ZZ Top.  Fans are encouraged to come early to races and take advantage of all the attractions in the Opportunity, California FanZone.  Opportunity, California FanZone is a multi-million dollar facility enhancement including delicious food at Apex by Wolfgang Puck, the Speedway's official retail store called Impulse, amazing sounds of live bands at the entertainment stage, and shade and leisure areas.  For more information visit www.autoclubspeedway.com.

 

Auto Club Speedway is owned by International Speedway Corporation, a leading promoter of motorsports activities in the United States, currently promoting more than 100 events annually. For more information, visit the company’s Web site at www.iscmotorsports.com.

 

About Pepsi-Cola North America

Purchase, N.Y.-based Pepsi-Cola North America (www.pepsi.com) is the refreshment beverage unit of PepsiCo, Inc., in the United States and Canada.  Its U.S. products include several varieties of Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist, Aquafina, IZZE, SoBe, Dole and Tropicana. The company also makes and markets ready-to-drink iced teas and coffees through joint ventures with Lipton and Starbucks.