DOVER, Del. (September 27, 2011) – – JTG Daugherty Racing’s sponsors are mastering their use of the team’s assets with driver Bobby Labonte and the No. 47 Toyota Camry team to promote their brand to millions of loyal NASCAR fans.
One of the most recognizable brands and leading manufacturer of charcoal in the U.S., Kingsford, is showcasing Grilling.com for the first time this weekend on Labonte’s machine at Dover International Speedway in the AAA 400.
To tie together the relationship between the brand, website, driver, team and fans, Kingsford and Grilling.com are providing a chance for one lucky fan to win an ultimate VIP track and grilling experience with Bobby Labonte and JTG Daugherty Racing in Las Vegas in March by registering at Grilling.com/racing starting on September 30th.
Fans can register for an opportunity to be Labonte’s Pit Master for the day, which includes a 3-day (2-night) stay on the Las Vegas strip; round-trip airfare; a rental car; a BBQ lunch with Bobby and crew; a VIP tour and more leading into the big race weekend in 2012.
“Kingsford has a website Grilling.com that fans can go to starting on September 30th to sign up for a great fan experience in Las Vegas with me and my team,” Labonte said. “They are activating with another new format at Grilling.com. Kingsford is really engaging with their fans and this is another creative way for them to reward a lucky brand loyal fan with an all access race experience. It’s simple to register – – just log on to Grilling.com/racing this weekend and I’ll see you in March. Good luck!”
Labonte is banking on having a solid run at Dover International Speedway on Sunday to generate awareness about Grilling.com and his record at Dover is quite impressive. One of his 21 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins took place at the one-mile concrete oval and he has three pole awards, 11 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes. Not to mention, Dover is one of his favorite tracks on the circuit.
“Dover is a great track to race on,” Labonte said “It’s fast and you can move around. The track doesn’t really change a whole lot during the race. You can try different lines and different things play a part of it. You have to have a good handling car. Pit road is tricky to get in and you can lose so much time. You can lose time getting off pit road too. Then if a caution flag comes out, you can get messed up. It’s such a technical track throughout. It’s an awesome place to go race because the fans are all close to the track and they can see inside the cars. As fast as we go, I think it’s got to be exciting for them to see it.”
The JTG Daugherty Racing driver finished 19th in the most recent event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
“Fuel strategy, track position played a big role at Loudon, but then you go to Dover and it’s going to be a different scenario,” Labonte said. “It’s hard to predict during the race it’s going to be like that.”
Tony Stewart won his second straight victory snatching the points lead when Clint Bowyer ran out of fuel in the closing laps of the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Stewart along with three other drivers are Labonte’s picks for being in line to win the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship that he predicts will come down to the wire in the season-finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
“For those guys in the top-12, it’s going to be so close because of the new format and I’d be surprised if it didn’t come down to at least three or four guys at Homestead,” Labonte said. “Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth are the ones that are going to be consistent and on it each week. I think those guys are peaking at the right time.
“I could be totally wrong, but I’m going with that,” continued Labonte. “You watch Tony and he won his first Chase race two weeks ago and his second last weekend. That’s momentum right there. Jimmie is just going to be a favorite. Jeff Gordon and his team continue to be a contender week in and week out and Matt’s always the quiet one. I know Loudon’s not his best track, but he finished pretty good there. Those four are the ones that will be in the top four at the end of the year.”
Live coverage of the AAA 400 on Sunday, October 2nd will air on ESPN at 2 p.m. ET. Sirius XM Satellite and PRN Radio will also carry the event.
