NHRA News: POWERade new NHRA series sponsor (12/03/2001)

POWERade new NHRA series sponsor;
points fund increases to top $3 million

12/03/2001

The National Hot Rod Association and The Coca-Cola Company's POWERade brand announced Monday a five-year, multi-tiered agreement naming POWERade as the title sponsor of NHRA's prestigious 23-race national event series, which will be called the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series beginning with the 2002 season.

As part of the multi-year, worldwide exclusive agreement, POWERade also will be the official sports drink of NHRA, which will kick off its 51st year in 2002. In addition, Coca-Cola classic will be the official soft drink of NHRA and DASANI will be the official bottled water of NHRA.

"When we started the search to find a series partner at the Professional level, we were looking for a new sponsor that could bring very real marketing power to the sport," said NHRA President Tom Compton. "There is no doubt in anyone's mind that with the promotional and marketing weight of the POWERade brand we have cut a perfect light.

"With this new partnership, NHRA is poised for a strong future with much of the effort focused on introducing the power, intensity, and sensory experience of NHRA POWERade Drag Racing to a broader audience," continued Compton.

In making the announcement, NHRA and POWERade unveiled a significant purse increase in the year-end points fund; the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing World Champion in Top Fuel and Funny Car will each receive $400,000, the Pro Stock World Champion will receive $200,000, and the Pro Stock Bike World Champion will receive $50,000. In all, including year-end and top 10 bonus programs, payouts for the four Professional classes in places 1 through 10 will increase to more than $3 million.

"Drag racing is an ideal property to further POWERade's efforts to reinvent the sports-drink category and reinforce the brand's cutting-edge personality," said Sandy Douglas, president, North American Division, The Coca-Cola Company. "We are excited about the opportunity to partner with NHRA to bring drag racing to new heights and support drag racing's loyal fan base with new and innovative marketing initiatives."

Besides marketing and promotional support on a national and local level, POWERade will provide advertising support both during NHRA's 23 national event shows, exclusively broadcast on ESPN and ESPN2, and within other shows and programs on a variety of networks.

The partnership with POWERade includes a major commitment and involvement from Coca-Cola Enterprises, the world's largest marketer, producer, and distributor of products of The Coca-Cola Company, to provide series sponsorship support at the consumer distribution level.

POWERade is one of the key brands of The Coca-Cola Company. In July 2001, Coca-Cola launched a new and improved formula for POWERade featuring vitamins B3, B6, and B12, which play a role in energy metabolism. In addition, the brand recently added to its lineup POWERade Light, a new beverage with 50 percent fewer calories than the leading sports drink and also featuring B vitamins. These beverages are the first in what will be an expanding array of POWERade products that fuse the benefits of hydration and energy.

NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Point Fund

Place	Total	TF	FC	PSCar	PSBike
1	$1,050,000	$400,000	$400,000	$200,000	$50,000
2	265,000	100,000	100,000	50,000	15,000
3	132,500	50,000	50,000	25,000	7,500
4	81,000	30,000	30,000	15,000	6,000
5	67,500	25,000	25,000	12,500	5,000
6	54,250	20,000	20,000	10,000	4,250
7	48,750	18,000	18,000	9,000	3,750
8	46,000	17,000	17,000	8,500	3,500
9	43,250	16,000	16,000	8,000	3,250
10	40,500	15,000	15,000	7,500	3,000
Total	$1,828,750	$691,000	$691,000	$345,500	$101,250

NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Top Ten Bonus Program

	Total	TF	FC	PSCar	PSBike
Payout per event	52,500	20,000	20,000	10,000	2,500
number of events	83	23	23	23	14
Total Top Ten	1,185,000	460,000	460,000	230,000	35,000

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