BRYANT

This year, Bryant Heating & Cooling Systems returned to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, more than 50 years after Eddie Johnson took Bryant’s initial entry to a ninth place finish in the 1958 Indianapolis 500. Since 1958, Bryant has been a familiar sight at the Indy 500. The company’s name has been featured on a total of 50 cars on the starting grid of what is called “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” Through the years, drivers such as Eddie Sachs, Rodger Ward, Scott Brayton, Arie Luyendyk, Al Unser Jr., and Sarah Fisher have carried the Bryant colors during the traditional Memorial Day event.

The run makes Bryant the longest nonautomotive sponsor in Indy 500 history. Driving the company’s entry this year was Andretti Green Racing’s Tony Kanaan, who was leading the IndyCar® Series points standings heading into the 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500.

Bryant had several events related to the Indianapolis 500 throughout the month of May. The first of these events included the company hosting a large contingent of its dealers in Indianapolis that included a plant tour and a visit to one of the hospitality suites at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to watch Tony Kanaan at work. Kanaan also appeared at select Bryant events throughout the month of May. Speaking of Bryant and his other sponsors, Kanaan said, “…if it wasn’t for the sponsors, nobody would be here. We have to take care of the sponsors and thank them for being around.”

To celebrate its long-time ties to Indianapolis and its racing history, Bryant gave away 50 tickets to this year’s Indianapolis 500.

COLEMAN

Henry Gaus, owner of Cool Zone Heating & Air Conditioning in Beaumont, Texas, has been selling Coleman products since the line of equipment was first introduced in the Beaumont area 11 years ago. So pleased with the products and the people who represent them, including Johnstone Supply Manager Doug Smith and Coleman Regional Sales Manager Howard Wilson, Gaus decided to prominently feature the Coleman and Johnstone Supply logos on his race car. “It’s red, it’s hot, and it’s on track to win another points championship in 2009,” said Gaus. “That’s my Coleman® Car.”

After seeing a representation of the Coleman [mc]2 MicroChannel Mini-Cube Air Conditioner on Smith’s truck, Gaus decided to include that same graphic on his racecar, strategically placed beside the two corporate logos.

In 2004 and 2005, Gaus’ car won back-to-back points championships at the local track in Beaumont. At one point, the red car was also ranked 27th in the nation among United Midwestern Promoters Modified cars and second in the state.

Today, the red car leads the points series in Beaumont. According to Gaus, they race the car, on average, one or two times a weekend from the end of March through the first or second week in October. Then, they run just a handful of races before taking a break in January and February to rebuild and retool the cars.

“I put the Coleman logo on the cars, because that’s what I sell,” Gaus explained. “I enjoy my relationship with both Doug and Howard. I see them often, and when I do, they both have plenty of time for me. That really makes a difference for someone in my line of work, so I’m proud to put their logos on my cars.”

LENNOX

Lennox Industries has sponsored Penske Racing for 12 consecutive years in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The company has been a part of 13 wins along with 86 top-5 and 175 top-10 finishes since becoming a sponsor. According to Lennox, the sponsorship goes beyond having the logo on the car and the relationship has transformed into more of a partnership as Lennox and Penske have completed many business opportunities together.

Lennox has partnered with Penske Corp. to provide IAQ systems at various Penske properties. In addition, Lennox designed a system to simulate racetrack conditions enabling Penske Racing to achieve peak engine performance. At Penske Technology Group, air quality control helps all the Penske Racing teams throughout NASCAR, Indy Car, and the Grand-Am/Sports Car series study aerodynamics and other engineering aspects in specified conditions.

Kurt Busch, the 2004 cup champion, does more than drive the car for Lennox. Busch makes multiple appearances at corporate and Lennox dealer functions each year.

NOLAND-NUTONE

Noland Co. and NuTone Heating and Cooling Products teamed up as primary sponsors for the JD Motorsports No. 04 car for three NASCAR Nationwide Series races in 2009. WinWholesale and its Noland Co. subsidiary are exclusive national distributors of NuTone Heating and Cooling Products at Noland and selected Winair and Winnelson locations.

JD Motorsports driver Kertus Davis drove the NuTone Heating and Cooling Products Chevrolet Impala SS in the Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona July 3. He also drove the car in the Food City 250 in Bristol, Tenn., Aug. 21, and is scheduled to run in the Dollar General 300 in Charlotte, N.C., Oct. 16.

At Bristol, Noland brought customers into the racing action. Customers who won a NuTone promotion drawing attended the race and received pit road and garage access. One winner also had the opportunity to work with the NuTone Heating and Cooling Products team during the race. “We’re pretty excited about one of our customers attending the Bristol and Charlotte races from a very unique vantage point with the race team on pit road,” said Steve Edwards, WinWholesale’s vice president, marketing.

The promotion for the Charlotte race ended Sept. 30. Customers were automatically entered in a drawing to win with every purchase of a 14 SEER or higher split system air conditioner unit or any package unit. Noland HVAC locations have promotion details.

RHEEM

Rheem is the primary sponsor of the No. 33 car owned and driven in NASCAR’s Nationwide Series by Daytona champion, Kevin Harvick. The association between Rheem and Kevin Harvick Inc. began in 2007 when Rheem became the major associate sponsor of Richard Childress Racing’s number 29 Shell-Pennzoil Rheem Chevrolet also driven by Harvick in the Sprint Cup Series. In fact, in its first race in Feb. 2007, Harvick drove the Rheem sponsored car to Victory Lane at the Daytona 500.

The Rheem and Ruud brands of heating, cooling, water heating, and pool and spa products have hosted thousands of contractor guests at its exclusive VIP Racing Experience hospitality events. In addition, Rheem promotes its products with in-race radio and television advertising, including the use of in-car cameras. In addition, interactive at-track events engage NASCAR’s sponsor-loyal fans further connecting Rheem and Ruud with NASCAR fans. The result is that so far in 2009 the Rheem racing sponsorships have generated billions of visual Rheem and Ruud brand impressions, generated millions of dollars of national advertising value, connected with millions on the Internet, and interacted with over 3.7 million fans at NASCAR tracks.

“Our investment in NASCAR sponsorships is carefully managed and monitored to constantly assess its value to Rheem on many levels. We measure everything and have found that our racing sponsorships produce better value and results than almost any other marketing investment we make,” said Ed Raniszeski, Rheem corporate marketing director.

“We know the exposure of the diverse Rheem product portfolio and our brands help contractors sell our products more easily. And, outside of pure ROI, it’s a memorable, fun way of saying ‘thanks’ to contractors, consumers, and the very loyal, dedicated NASCAR fans we meet.”

Publication date: 10/12/2009