Rick Perry to sponsor Bobby Labonte's 71
Rick Perry has sponsored Nascar driver (and Texan) Bobby Labonte's number 71 for the April 18th Sprint Cup Samsung Mobile 500 race at the Texas Motor Speedway. The ad on the front bumper asks folks to text 71 to 95613 which goes toward Perry's strategy of being able to contact folks for free electronically. They paid $225,000 for the privilege, and apparently think it's the first time a candidate has bought ads on a driver's car.
April 10th is the last day for the Perry's tour with Labonte's race car.
Here's the Rick Perry video talking about the activities they've got planned:
History of politicians with NASCAR:
It's not the first time a political logo has been appeared in Nascar. Kirk Shelmerdine put the BushCheney '04 logo on his race car because he didn't find an advertiser for the space. His exercise of free speech earned him an FEC investigation for a few years, an admonishment, and assuredly lots of legal fees.
Also, Democrat Kendrick Meek, a Florida Congressman running for Senate sponsored Mike Wallace at Daytona in the second-tier Nationwide series, as did former Florida Senator Bob Graham's presidential campaign.
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Update for the folks searching here: Bobby Labonte's 71 car is taking a trip around Texas for the next few days. That schedule is at the end of the post. They're also auctioning off two race day VIP passes.
This post has also been edited so that people coming in on search engines can hopefully find some of the stuff they are searching for. Below is the full press release:
April 6, 2010
LEWISVILLE – TRG Motorsports, NASCAR Champion Bobby Labonte and Gov. Rick Perry today announced that Texans for Rick Perry will sponsor the No. 71 racecar of NASCAR’s most popular Texan, Bobby Labonte, during the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 18, 2010.
"I am proud to partner with fellow Texan and unwavering patriot, Bobby Labonte, in my effort to raise awareness of the conservative values that have kept our state at the forefront of the national economy," said Gov. Perry. "Texas has remained strong in the midst of these challenging economic times because of the team effort embraced by hardworking Texans and conservative leaders – teamwork that has kept our taxes low, unemployment down and job creation up. My campaign’s sponsorship of the No. 71 race car will send the message to all Texans that elections are about the hardworking people who make our state great; this election is about moving Texas forward."
Emblazoned with the Texans for Rick Perry logo and the sponsorship slogan Moving Texas Forward, the Chevy Impala SS driven by Labonte will tour across the state in the days leading up to the Samsung Mobile 500 race at Texas Motor Speedway on April 18, offering race fans the chance to get an up close and personal glimpse at a stock car and learn more about Gov. Perry’s effort to keep Moving Texas Forward.
"I couldn't be more excited to have Gov. Perry on board the No. 71 for the Texas race," Labonte said. "It's always great for me to come back to my home state and now I've got an even bigger reason to be able to connect to all of the fans and my fellow Texans."
NASCAR is an important contributor to Texas' economic vitality, drawing more than 400,000 spectators and generating revenue equivalent to one Super Bowl event, approximately $90 million, during a single NASCAR weekend at Fort Worth's Texas Motor Speedway. The speedway is home to the five largest single-day spectator events in the state of Texas, two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events, two NASCAR Nationwide Series events and the IndyCar Series Race, contributing a regional economic impact of approximately $300,000,000 per year.
"This is a prime example of why NASCAR sponsorship is such an effective marketing platform," said team owner Kevin Buckler. "We are going to help Gov. Perry reach a huge number of Texans in a very short period of time. Bobby and the No. 71 are going to provide a call to action to all of the governor's supporters in the NASCAR world. It's great to see Gov. Perry utilize such a creative way to run for re-election – right in his own back yard."
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About TRG Motorsports
TRG Motorsports is based in Mooresville, North Carolina, and is home to the No. 71 Chevrolet driven by NASCAR Champion Bobby Labonte. The team is in its second year of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series after successfully competing in the Craftsman Truck Series and ARCA series. The Racer’s Group was founded in 1993 and has been competing at the top level of sports car racing. TRG's Porsche sports car program is run out of the company’s headquarters in Petaluma, California. The team has the most wins of any team in the Grand-Am Rolex Series with 28, including the 2005 and 2006 Rolex Series GT championship trophy to go along with wins in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona (three) and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Tour Schedule:
The full tour schedule for the Rick Perry-themed Bobby Labonte 71:
Wednesday, April 7th, 2010
5:00 p.m.
Coopers Pit BBQ
604 West Young Street
Llano, TX 78643-1249
(map)
To RSVP, please contact your local field director, Jon McClellan, at 281-793-4558 or [email protected].
Thursday, April 8th, 2010
8:00 a.m.
Mahaley's Cafe
341 East Main Street
Fredericksburg, TX 78624-4611
(map)
To RSVP, please contact your local field director, Jon McClellan, at 281-793-4558 or [email protected].
10:30 a.m.
Sammy's Mexican Restaurant
1101 South Main Street
Boerne, TX 78006-2811
(map)
To RSVP, please contact your local field director, ReeAnn Downing, at 432-770-1321 or [email protected].
12:00 p.m.
Mi Tierra Cafe Y Panaderia
218 Produce Row
San Antonio, TX 78207-4554
(map)
To RSVP, please contact your local field director, ReeAnn Downing, at 432-770-1321 or [email protected].
2:30 p.m.
Liberty Bistro
200 N Seguin Avenue
New Braunfels, TX, 78130
(map)
To RSVP, please contact your local field director, ReeAnn Downing, at 432-770-1321 or [email protected].
4:15 p.m.
Centerpoint Station
3946 S Interstate 35
San Marcos, TX 78666-9375
(map)
To RSVP, please contact your local field director, Jon McClellan, at 281-793-4558 or [email protected].
Friday, April 9th, 2010
8:30 a.m.
El Arroyo, with breakfast tacos, Governor Rick Perry, and the famous sign
1616 West 5th Street
Austin, TX 78703
(map)
To RSVP, please contact your local field director, Jon McClellan, at 281-793-4558 or [email protected].
11:30 a.m. Chicken Express
710 Earl Rudder Fwy S
College Station, TX 77840
(map)
To RSVP, please contact your local field director, Jon McClellan, at 281-793-4558 or [email protected].
Saturday, April 10th, 2010
#71 Rick Perry Booth opens at 12:00 p.m.
The 24th Annual Texas Crawfish & Music Festival
120 Spring School Road
Spring, TX 77373
Featuring Live Music, Texas’ Best Crawfish and more in Historic Old Town Spring (website)
(map)
Posted by Evan @ 04/06/10 05:50 PM
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