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[/media-credit]HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – July 12, 2012 – This weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway marks the five-year anniversary of the founding of the Miss Sprint Cup program.
On July 13, 2007, at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., a brand ambassador stepped into a firesuit representing Sprint for the first time. That role eventually grew into Miss Sprint Cup – a Victory Lane staple seen by millions each week. Since the program’s inception, eight women have served in the role and have become some of the most recognizable personalities in the world of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing.
The program began as a small part of a promotion and has grown exponentially during the last five years. In 2009, Miss Sprint Cup embraced social media and now boasts more than 1.26 million fans and followers on Facebook and Twitter. Miss Sprint Cup currently has the third-most fans on Facebook behind only NASCAR and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
As the ultimate racing insider, Miss Sprint Cup takes fans behind-the-scenes of each race weekend via constant updates on Facebook.com/MissSprintCup and Twitter.com/MissSprintCup. Fans are invited to follow Miss Sprint Cup on Facebook and Twitter for a unique real-time view behind-the-scenes and inside the garage of the NASCAR Sprint Cup series.
To commemorate Miss Sprint Cup’s five-year anniversary, followers on Facebook and Twitter can participate in numerous giveaways and posts commemorating the history of the program. Those fans attending the race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway should stop by the Sprint Experience for special contests, tributes and a look back at the program’s history.
Originally known as Sprint Speed Ambassadors, Tabitha Andretti and Anne-Marie Rhodes were the first to adorn the Sprint firesuit. Monica Palumbo, who served the longest in the Miss Sprint Cup role, joined Rhodes in 2008. During her four seasons, Palumbo became synonymous with the Sprint brand and was a major factor in the evolvement of the Miss Sprint cup program.
After the 2009 season ended, Sprint decided to expand the program from two to three spokespersons. Two members of the Miss Sprint Cup team now travel to each race market, making appearances at various hospitality areas and local media outlets, all while being the main attraction at the Sprint Experience, the mobile marketing display Sprint brings to every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event. There they talk with fans about the latest Sprint products and offerings and help emcee the weekend’s various contests and giveaways. On the Sprint Experience stage, they also interview celebrities and the sport’s top drivers and personalities.
The NASCAR industry has also embraced the program and understands the valuable nature that it carries. Miss Sprint Cup accompanied Carl Edwards to ESPN for the launch of a national promotion, has appeared on ESPN’s “Pardon The Interruption,” and is a fixture on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Numerous drivers, teams, tracks, sponsors, and the governing body itself routinely request Miss Sprint Cup to be a part of charitable events, corporate appearances and fan activities. For the last three years, the women have had the honor of visiting the wounded warriors at the now-closed Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. In 2011 alone, the Miss Sprint Cup ambassadors participated in more than 600 appearances and interviews.
The complete Miss Sprint Cup roster: Andretti, Kristen Beat (2012-present), Kim Coon (2011-present), Paige Duke (2010-2011), Palumbo (2008-2011), Rhodes (2007-2009), Jaclyn Roney (2011-present) and Amanda Wright (2010).
About Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel offers a comprehensive range of wireless and wireline communications services bringing the freedom of mobility to consumers, businesses and government users. Sprint Nextel served more than 56 million customers at the end of the first quarter of 2012 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; offering industry-leading mobile data services, leading prepaid brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. The American Customer Satisfaction Index rated Sprint No. 1 among all national carriers and most improved in customer satisfaction across all industries during the last four years. Newsweek ranked Sprint No. 3 in its 2011 Green Rankings, listing it as one of the nation’s greenest companies, the highest of any telecommunications company. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.
To learn more about Sprint programs that protect the environment, go to www.sprint.com/responsibility or follow @SprintGreenNews on Twitter.
