---

ARCA: Raceway Stores Hopes to Cash-in at Talladega as a sponsor of Smith Brothers Motorsports

12 October 1999

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

SALISBURY, N.C. -- Raceway Stores, headquartered in Williamsport, Pa., has joined forces with Smith Brothers Motorsports as a co-primary sponsor of the No. 28 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, driven by retired Pennsylvania State Police Officer, Skip Smith. Marking the first time for the company as a sponsor, Raceway Stores' partnership with Smith Brothers is designated for the ARCA Series Winn-Dixie 300 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, on Saturday, October 16, 1999.

Specializing in racing apparel, collectables and memorabilia, company President, Matthew Sears elected to partner with driver Skip Smith and Smith Brothers Motorsports in hopes of drawing support from both a local and national audience for Raceway Stores.

"We feel that by partnering with Skip, a driver from the local area, that it will help us in the local market," said Sears. "Hopefully this relationship can lead forward, not just on the local level but help us in our effort on the entire east coast. We're very excited about being a sponsor for Smith Brothers at the Talladega race."

Equally pleased with the new relationship, driver Skip Smith says Raceway Stores, as a sponsor, is a natural fit for Smith Brothers Motorsports.

"I'm pleased that Raceway Stores has joined us for the Talladega race," said Skip Smith. "Their business is racing and it's a natural fit for them to take on a sponsorship role. Their stores are definitely not a low-key operation. They have the largest selection of racing apparel I've seen and the stores are quite impressive. When you walk in one of the Raceway Stores locations, you feel like you're at the races."

Growing from a concept that was started almost five years ago, Raceway Stores boasts five retail outletsfour in Pennsylvania and one in New York. Sears explains he felt there was a need for such a concept, one that he is improving on daily.

"We started the Raceway Stores franchise concept in 1995," explains Sears. "We felt there was definitely a need for the type of retail store we offer. We're focused on getting the sport out of the mom and pop' type of atmosphere into an upscale, mall-located retail store to provide the NASCAR enthusiast a full line of NASCAR racing apparel, collectables, die cast and memorabilia."

Sears goes on the explain that the company's new website and online E-commerce store was a primary reason Raceway Stores saw a benefit of sponsoring Smith Brothers at Talladega.

"We're real excited about our new Raceway Stores online website because there are no geographic boundaries there," said Sears. "It has a real upside potential and we're hoping it will expand our market beyond our current store locations. Because of the no boundaries' reach of the internet, we can benefit from national exposure. Race fans in Alabama, or anywhere in the country for that matter, can visit our website and have access to the same merchandise we carry in our retail stores."

Raceway Stores will share co-primary sponsorship of the No. 28 Smith Brothers Motorsports Chevrolet Monte Carlo with Shop-Vac Corporation, also headquartered in Williamsport, Pa. Sears is please to be partnered with Shop-Vac and says the two companies will be introducing a sweepstakes promotion next week, centered around driver Skip Smith and the Smith Brothers Motorsports team.

Sears said, "It's great to be associated with Shop-Vac for this race. We have put together a promotion with them that will launch the week following the Talladega race. This allows us to extend our relationship with Smith Brothers beyond this weekend's event and presents an additional benefit to exposure at the race track. It will also give fans an opportunity to win a race weekend experience for Speedweeks 2000 in Daytona, plus valuable Raceway Stores merchandise and Shop-Vac products."

Editors Note: For hundreds of hot racing photos and racing art, be sure to visit The Racing ImageGalleries and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.