Big Payoff for FedEx CART Marlboro 500 Presented by Toyota
27 July 1998
FedEx Championship Series Driver, Fan Stand to Win Millions at Marlboro 500 Presented by Toyota at California Speedway BROOKLYN, Mich., July 26 -- It has the potential to be the
biggest single-day total payday in the history of Champ Car racing.
When the FedEx Championship Series visits the California Speedway in the
season-ending Marlboro 500 Presented by Toyota on November 1, the driver who
wins will pocket a cool $1 million.
That same driver could very well be racing to collect the additional
$1 million that comes with winning the FedEx Championship Series' PPG Cup,
which goes to the driver who collects the most points in the 19-race season.
Couple that $2 million with another $1 million that a lucky fan could win
through CART's first-ever major consumer promotion and more than $3 million is
up for grabs at the two-mile oval that sits 50 miles east of downtown
Los Angeles.
The $1 million first-place prize in the 500-mile race ranks among the
richest in sport. Winning athletes in football's Super Bowl, baseball's World
Series, golf's Masters and soccer's World Cup all walk away with less in
single-day/event winnings.
"The $1 million prize to the winning driver is possible because Penske
Motorsports and CART believe there is great value in developing special events
within the FedEx Championship Series," said Carl Cohen, executive vice
president of marketing at CART. "We have joined together to provide the
drivers with the opportunity to win a single-day prize that is extremely rare,
even in today's billion-dollar sports industry.
"What makes it even more exciting is that the race winner could be the
driver who wins the PPG Cup and the $1 million that goes with it. And then
there's the opportunity for a fan to become an instant millionaire in the
'Million Dollar Payday' program. We think it will be one of the most exciting
days in the 20 years of CART Champ Car racing."
The event will mark the second time CART has taken its Champ Cars to the
state-of-the-art California Speedway. The inaugural Marlboro 500 Presented by
Toyota saw the fastest speeds in the history of open wheel racing -- more than
240 miles per hour -- at the two-mile oval that lies in the largest North
American market that the FedEx Championship Series visits.
"The Marlboro 500 Presented by Toyota, with its $1 million first prize,
helps create and position both the FedEx Championship Series and California
Speedway as leaders in the motorsports industry," said Greg Penske, president
of Penske Motorsports. "The season final FedEx Championship Series race at
the California Speedway, involves all that is important in racing -- the fans,
drivers, sponsors and sanctioning body."
CART's drivers are looking forward to having the opportunity to race for
the $1 million prize.
"Even with the growth of our sport over the past several years, there is
still something very special about racing for a million-dollar first prize,"
said Al Unser Jr., who tops CART's career money winner list with more than
$18.5 million in Champ Car earnings as he heads into this weekend's U.S. 500
at Michigan International Speedway. "It's a great way to cap off our season."
Along with the $1 million first Prize at Fontana, additional prize money
will be distributed for race-specific performance awards and lap sponsorships.
The fan element of the program begins approximately one month prior to the
Marlboro 500 Presented by Toyota. CART and its partners will distribute
10 million "Million Dollar Payday," scratch-off cards through retail partners
nationwide. To date, FedEx, Firestone, Goodyear, Kmart, MCI, Mercedes-Benz,
PPG and Toyota have signed on for the program.
At three times during the ESPN telecast of the 500-mile race at Fontana,
an icon will appear on the screen. If a consumer holds the winning
scratch-off card that matches all three symbols, he or she will win
$1 million. Fans attending the race at California Speedway also will receive
game cards on-site and will have the opportunity to play along. Second prize
is the opportunity to drive the 850-horsepower PacWest Racing Motorola Champ
Car while third prize is an all-expenses paid trip to the 1999 Marlboro 500
Presented by Toyota at California Speedway.
"Our overall objective is to create presence and awareness for the FedEx
Championship Series," said Cohen. "We believe this program will introduce our
form of racing to new fans and reinforce our commitment to current fans.
"By partnering with a broad range of sponsors, the watch and win contest
will be leveraged at track, through retail outlets, and in the print and
broadcast media. This level of promotional cooperation is unprecedented in
Champ Car racing."
The "Million Dollar Payday," contest will be supported with multi-page
advertisements in People Magazine, ESPN Magazine, and Sports Illustrated.
Additionally, a six-page special insert will appear in USA Today on
October 29. Sponsor partners receive game cards and ad space in the custom
units as part of the promotion. Sponsors participating at the highest levels
will also receive brand identification in CART's incremental promotion
advertising.
"Longer term, as part of our focused marketing effort behind the FedEx
Championship Series, we hope to have three cooperative promotional events each
season," said Cohen.
CART owns, operates and markets the FedEx Championship Series, North
America's premier open wheel racing series. CART conducts 19 race events in
five countries on four continents in 1998 and features drivers such as Michael
Andretti, Bobby Rahal, Al Unser Jr., 1996 series champion Jimmy Vasser and
defending PPG Cup Champion Alex Zanardi.
CART also owns, operates and markets the PPG-Dayton Indy Lights
Championship, a 14-race series of open wheel events, as well as the KOOL
Toyota Atlantic Championship, a 12-race, open-wheel racing series. Many of
the events in both series are conducted in conjunction with FedEx
Championships Series races throughout North America.
