BFGoodrich, Alltel Wireless, Sunoco Join High-Powered SPEED for 2007 Season

CHARLOTTE, N.C.--SPEED recently completed deals with BFGoodrich Tires, Alltel Wireless and Sunoco, adding the companies to an already impressive list of companies deeply involved in SPEED programming for 2007.

BFGoodrich will present The SPEED Report (Sundays at 8 p.m. ET) as well as the inaugural SPEED Performance Awards on Feb. 8 at 9 p.m. ET. Alltel comes on-board as presenting sponsor of the popular Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain (Sundays at 9 p.m. ET).

“BFGoodrich Tires is very proud to be a presenting sponsor of The SPEED Report and inaugural SPEED Performance Awards,” said Tom Jupena, marketing communications manager for BFGoodrich Tires. “Our association with these programming elements on SPEED provides the perfect platform to convey our brand message to a dedicated and loyal audience.”

Sunoco, the Official Fuel of NASCAR, will join SPEED by sponsoring a pit strategy feature in network pre-race coverage.

“I think advertisers are attracted to the way SPEED is integrating products into a wide variety of motor sports and automotive lifestyle programming,” said Todd Siegel, Sr. VP of Advertising Sales. “We have permission to go one step further than a lot of these successful companies can go with traditional entertainment television programming. Motor sports fans understand sponsors and advertisers are part of the fabric of the sport, which gives us a little more room to play.”

Returning for their second seasons with SPEED, The Home Depot will continue to be presenting sponsor of NASCAR RaceDay-- Built by The Home Depot, the network’s highly rated live NASCAR Nextel Cup Series pre-race show. Jean giant Wrangler comes back as presenting sponsor for Trackside Live.

“We’re always looking for ways to differentiate The Home Depot brand while providing exciting programs that appeal to our customers and associates," said Roger Adams, senior vice president & chief marketing officer of The Home Depot. "The format of NASCAR RaceDay -- Built by The Home Depot affords us a unique opportunity to have an additional touch point with the passionate fan base as well as heighten our exposure as the “Official Home Improvement Warehouse of NASCAR.””

Also returning for a second season with multiple impact sponsorships is NASCAR series title sponsor Sprint Nextel, back with entitlement of the SPEED flagship series Inside NEXTEL Cup, as well as an aggressive slate of NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge promotional initiatives.

“SPEED is an ideal partner in all of our NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series initiatives,” said Dean Kessel, director of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series marketing for Sprint Nextel. “We work together to identify the best approach to bring the sport as close to fans as possible.”

“Our deals go well beyond simply running commercials,” Siegel added. “The depth of integration and the impact is trend-sending in the industry.”

To that end, SPEED recently completed landmark production deals with Microsoft and its Xbox 360 brand, as well as Toyota for branded entertainment projects in 2007.

Two Roads to Baja, which debuted earlier this month, featured a pair of Toyota FJ cruisers in an hour-long special focusing on the legendary off-road endurance race. And on Feb. 21 at 11 p.m. ET, SPEED will air the first episode of Forza Motorsport Showdown, a four-part series which brings the popular Xbox 360 game to life with a series of real races with real drivers. With Microsoft as a production partner, SPEED landed Valvoline as a presenting sponsor for the series.

“This was the first time SPEED had been approached about doing a video game-based reality series offering a $100,000 grand prize – while providing a wider appeal to a more youthful audience,” said Robert Ecker, VP of Programming for SPEED. “To Microsoft Games Studios’ credit, they didn’t want this to be an infomercial about Forza Motorsport 2. They wanted this to be a stand alone show with its own reality twists and uninhibited drama. It’s a very refreshing approach.”

Several advertisers opted for extensive Internet positioning on SPEEDtv.com as part of their 2007 buys. BF Goodrich sponsored the four-week fan video voting for the SPEED Performance Awards and will maintain a home-page presence for the remainder of the year.

For Two Roads to Baja, SPEEDtv.com ran an eight-minute “supertease” on its home page leading up to the premiere of the special.

Motorcycle giants Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha also have chosen SPEEDtv.com with targeted efforts. Kawasaki sponsors the motorcycle racing section of the site, Suzuki will sponsor a consumer section and Yamaha sponsors the AMA Superbike and AMA Supercross SPEED On-Demand Online, enabling fans to watch replays of the races online for free.

In other branded-content deals, the Castrol Engine Block, Go Rving and Sears Tools of the Trade also return in 2007.

SPEED is the nation's first and foremost cable television network dedicated to motor sports and the passion for everything automotive. From racing to restoration, motorcycles to movies, SPEED delivers quality programming from the track to the garage. Now available in more than 74 million homes in North America, SPEED is among the fastest-growing sports cable networks in the country, the home to NASCAR on SPEED and an industry leader in interactive TV, video on demand, mobile initiatives and broadband services.