Coal group to sponsor NASCAR Team
The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) is driving into NASCAR in its mission to educate the public on coal. ACCCE announced its sponsorship of NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his race team, JR Motorsports on April 24.
Under the sponsorship, JR Motorsports cars will feature ACCCE logos, and members of the race team will be working with the trade group to inform and educate fans about the importance of coal, according to ACCCE’s Evan Tracey.
“Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his team are one of the elite groups in racing and we’re proud to be partnering with them to continue to raise awareness of the importance of coal,” Tracey said. ACCCE’s sponsorship will begin this week on driver Cole Whitt’s car at the Richmond International Raceway and continue throughout the season. ACCCE will also be an associate sponsor on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 5 Chevrolet in the Nationwide Series race at Talladega Superspeedway on May 5.
As one of the sport’s most famous faces, Earnhardt will serve as a spokesman for the group. The sponsorship is part of a $40 million adocacy push, according to a spokeswoman for the group.
NASCAR fans are a coveted demographic for politicians and advertisers alike. The Earnhardt sponsorship is the latest in a relatively new wave of campaigns and other interest groups teaming up with drivers and their race teams to get the message out, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Other recent sponsorships include: former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who sponsored a car at this year’s Daytona 500 to draw attention to his long-shot bid to win the Republican presidential nomination, and AARP, which teamed up with driver Jeff Gordon to promote its Drive to End Hunger campaign. Ethanol producers also sponsor a car.
ACCCE hopes its high-profile union with a prominent NASCAR team will help promote the coalition in an ongoing fight with environmental groups and federal regulators over the regulation of carbon emissions in the U.S.
Kelley Earnhardt-Miller, who helps run the JR Motorsports team, told The Wall Street Journal that her brother supports domestic energy production and also favors initiatives to reduce carbon emissions. She said the team agreed to the sponsorship after they were approached by the coalition and agreed it would be a “good fit for our brand.”
“This is something we believe in, and we want to help them tell their story and get their message out,” Earnhardt-Miller said.
