One lucky ASA Racing Series fan could walk away from Salem (Ind.) Speedway in October as the owner of the ASA Racing Official Pace Car, thanks to Meijer Stores and Go-Go Motorsports.
For the second straight year, Meijer, in partnership with Go-Go Motorsports, will sponsor and promote the ASA Pace Car Giveaway Sweepstakes. The lucky winner will receive the dark-purple 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix Pace Car, one-night hotel accommodations for two adults and two tickets to the National ASA Racing Awards Banquet at Caesars Casino and Hotel in Elizabeth, Ind. and $700 in travel and spending money. Total value for the winner’s prize is $22,050.
“It’s quite a unique program,” said Connie Castro, promotions and partnerships specialist for Meijer. “It really brings the two entities [Meijer and ASA] together. Our demographics almost mirror each other, and racing is fast becoming the No. 1 spectator sport in the country.”
Castro said that last year’s inaugural promotion was quite a success, especially for the Internet site. “It is currently running on our web site until Aug. 3,” Castro said. “We run it again on June 22 in-store, on July 6 in-store and during four of the special appearances.”
To register, simply got to www.meijer.com, or visit www.asaracing.com and click the link. There will be a limited opportunity to register during the special appearances at store locations in Toledo, Ohio; Mansfield, Ohio; Indianapolis; Grand Rapids, Mich. (see schedule below).
From the entries received, three semifinalists will be chosen and the winners will receive a race package to the ASA Racing Series event at Salem (Ind.) Speedway on Oct. 4, 2003. The package includes two Meijer ASA racing hats and shirts, two tickets to the race as well as two pit and paddock passes and hospitality-area access, one night’s hotel accommodations for two adults and $500 in travel money.
At the Salem event, each of the semifinalists will pick a key at random. One of the three keys will start the Pace Car, and the contestant who picks the lucky key wins the car. The two runners-up will receive a $500 Meijer Gift Card as a consolation prize.
Meijer Stores will support the Sweepstakes program, as it did last year, with in-store appearances by the ASA Racing Official Pace Car itself, the Meijer-backed Go-Go Motorsports Chevrolet driven by Ryan Hemphill and via live radio remotes. The first of those in-store appearances will take place from 5-7 p.m. on May 16 at the Meijer store in Toledo, Ohio as part of the run-up to the ASA Racing Glass City 300 at Toledo Speedway. Others will take place at Meijer stores near Mansfield Motor Speedway in Ohio, Indianapolis Raceway Park, Illiana Motor Speedway and Salem Speedway in Indiana and Berlin Raceway in Michigan, near the Meijer corporate headquarters.
“It’s pretty exciting to get to be involved with all this,” said Go-Go Motorsports owner Ron Daniels. “Last year, we got a lot of excitement from the Meijer shoppers, not just the corporate people or the people who work there. It got a lot of attention. It’s pretty exciting to be able to win the Pace Car. It’s not like just winning a car, it’s the Pace Car from the race series, which I think is a big deal. I’m pleased that Go-Go Motorsports gets to be a part of it, and we actually get to give it away.”
Daniels said last year’s promotion came about after a conversation with Dan Carpenter of Red Baron/Tony’s Pizza. “We brought this to ASA’s attention,” Daniels said. “Dan asked me one day, ‘why don’t we give the Pace Car away?’ I called Mark [ASA co-owner Mark Gundrum] and asked, ‘can we buy the Pace Car and give it away?’ He said, ‘That’s a different idea.’ That’s how it all started, because of Dan Carpenter.”
Go-Go Motorsports team sponsors such as Red Baron/Tony’s Pizza, Stouffer’s, Tyson and Edy’s will be on hand at the appearances and throughout the Sweepstakes.
Schedule of Meijer store appearances:
May 16--5-7 p.m., 1500 E. Alexis Road, Toledo, Ohio; phone (419) 727-2000
June 20—5-7 p.m., 1355 N. Lexington-Springmill Road, Mansfield, Ohio; phone (419) 747-8300
June 27—5-7 p.m., 5349 Pike Plaza Road, Indianapolis, Ind.; phone (317) 387-2400
Aug. 1—5-7 p.m., 3757 Plainfield Ave. NE, Grand Rapids, Mich.; phone (616) 364-6211
Sept. 16—5-7 p.m., 611 U.S. 30, Merrillville, Ind. 46410; phone (219) 650-3700
Oct. 3—5-7 p.m., 4500 S. Hurstbourne, Louisville, Ky. 40299-1117