Tune in this Saturday, Feb. 19 at 1:15 pm EST to ESPN2 and watch Dale Earnhardt Jr. pilot the Hellmann's car in the DRIVE4COPD300 race at Daytona International Speedway!

Both Hellmann's and Suave return this year with their successful trackside activation displays.  Hellmann's will be engaging consumers with its "Ultimate Tailgating Trailer" inside Daytona's infield campgrounds while Suave appeals to both adults & kids with their product samples and family-friendly games & prizes!

On the morning of the Daytona 500 race, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will be making an appearance at Kroger's Daytona brunch event, where he'll mingle and chat with Kroger's top executives on behalf of Unilever.

This weekend should be a great kick-off to Unilever's 2011 NASCAR season!

 

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Hellmann's Chevrolet

 

 "I just enjoy racing at Daytona. It's a place that has a neat feeling. It has a great atmosphere, a lot of history, and it feels good to be there. With the new surface at Daytona, it has lessened the challenge we're typically up against. I do expect there to be some tire failures, which seems to happen on a newly paved track. The debris that comes off these cars just has nowhere to go. There aren't the typical crevices for debris to fall down into, so it just sits on the surface and cuts tires down.

"I feel good about the contingent of cars and teams JR Motorsports is taking to Daytona this year. We've got solid sponsors that we enjoy being associated with, and I expect our cars to be really competitive. Tony Sr. and Tony Jr. have worked really hard this off-season for this one race, and they have a pretty good track record at Daytona. There's no arguing that. I like what we're taking.

"Chris Heroy will be my crew chief for this race. He is one of the lead engineers at Hendrick Motorsports, and I think very highly of him. He was the engineer on my Cup team last year. I think he has such potential in this sport, and I wanted to run a race or two with him, you know, give him a shot. We call him Sunshine... or Shine. He's a smart guy, and in a situation where I am running a third car for a team that typically only runs two, we had a hole to fill and Shine was the guy I wanted to fill it. I appreciate Rick (Hendrick), Doug (Duchardt) and Lance (McGrew) over at Hendrick Motorsports for letting us borrow him for the Nationwide race. We'll have a lot of fun."

 

JR MOTORSPORTS NOTEBOOK -

275^th START FOR JRM - The Feb. 19^th season opener at Daytona marks the 275^th start for JR Motorsports in Nationwide Series competition. Dating back to its introductory race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2005, the team amassed nine wins, 54 top-fives and 112 top-10s with five poles and 1,142 laps led.

EARNHARDT FAMILY AT DAYTONA - The Earnhardt family owns 47 wins at the historic 2.5-mile speedway. Earnhardt Sr. secured 34 wins, with Earnhardt Jr. supplying 13 victories to the list. Earnhardt Jr.'s six Nationwide Series wins at the facility are the most among active drivers, just one win behind overall leader, Earnhardt Sr. In both Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series competition the younger Earnhardt owns 17 top-five and 24 top-10 finishes, with two poles and 907 laps led.

DEFENDING WINNER - Dale Earnhardt Jr. drove to victory in his most recent race at Daytona International Speedway last July.  Earnhardt secured a storybook ending with his win in the No. 3 Wrangler Chevrolet after qualifying third and leading the final 33 laps. It marked Earnhardt Jr.'s 23^rd win in the Nationwide Series.

CHART TOPPER - Earnhardt Jr. ranks first in the Nationwide Series' fastest-lap- run category at Daytona over the past six years, according to NASCAR Statistical Services. Additionally, Earnhardt Jr. ranks in the top five in the following categories: laps led, green-flag passes, and laps in the top 15. He also owns a top-10 ranking in average running position, driver rating, fastest drivers late in a run, green flag speed, and speed in traffic.

HELLMANN'S TEAM - Earnhardt Jr.'s last turn behind the wheel of the Hellmann's Chevrolet featured a pole and a third-place finish (Atlanta in 2009). For Daytona, the Hellmann's team is comprised of Hendrick Motorsports employees. Chris Heroy, an engineer on Mark Martin's No. 5 Sprint Cup entry, will assume the role of crew chief for the race, marking his debut in that position. The over-the-wall crew on the Hellmann's team also serves as Earnhardt Jr.'s crew in the Sprint Cup Series.

Happy New Year from the entire team at Bulldawg Marketing!

 

Yesterday the Charlotte Business Journal held their 4^th annual "Best Place to Work in Charlotte" luncheon to announce the winners in the small, medium & large business categories.  They invited the finalists to the Charlotte Convention Center to announce the top rankings.  Bulldawg Marketing was honored as one of the top 10 Best Small Businesses to work for in Charlotte.  An outstanding achievement and a testament to the core values of our company.  We all know what a great place this is to work-now everyone in Charlotte does as well!

 

Giant Food's deal with Dover, NASCAR will bring grocery to track

 

Stocking the camper during race week at most tracks requires a trip to a local grocery store, but this week Dover officials will save fans that trouble by bringing a grocery store to the track.

An agreement between Giant Food, Dover International Speedway and NASCAR will allow Giant Food to erect a 5,000-square-foot pop-up grocery store at the track for this week's race and set up NASCAR promotions in more than 200 mid-Atlantic stores.

Pop-up grocery stores have been constructed at racetracks in the past, but this represents the first time that a grocer has bought sponsorship rights to a pop-up store and simultaneously partnered with NASCAR on an in-store promotion.

"Chase for the Savings"
will run five weeks.

Giant Food, which is a subsidiary of the Dutch company Ahold, signed a multiyear agreement with Dover to become a partner of the track. The deal, which sources valued in the low six figures, gives Giant Food the right to set up the pop-up store, and provides it with signs at the track, hospitality and activation rights.

A separate agreement with NASCAR makes Ahold and Giant Food a strategic retail partner and will result in a five-week in-store promotion at more than 200 mid-Atlantic stores. The "Chase for the Savings" promotion, as it will be known, will feature NASCAR official partner products from Coca-Cola, Kraft, Unilever, Mars and Procter & Gamble at front-of-store displays and in circulars. The promotion will include consumer offers for chances to win race tickets, NASCAR merchandise and trips to the NASCAR Champion's Week in Las Vegas.

The deal is NASCAR's second partnership with a grocer. It partnered with Brookshire's last fall in Texas on a similar promotion that Coca-Cola officials credited with triggering triple-digit growth for the company's marquee brands.

NASCAR, Dover and Bulldawg Marketing, a retail marketing agency based in North Carolina, negotiated the agreements with Ahold and Giant Food.

NASCAR is working on additional strategic retail partnerships and hopes to have as many as six retail partners next season. It is in conversations with two to three other large retailers now.

"It's a complex process because we have to make sure it's a strategic account with enough stores and also make sure that we're able to build a program with [the retailer] on their calendar that's successful," said Matt Shulman, NASCAR's director of business solutions

The Bulldawg team invades Mission Bay this weekend as we kick off Degree Men's entry in H1 Unlimited Hydroplane racing.  In addition to having a boat and being the presenting sponsor of the race in San Diego, Degree Men will  have a display set-up for the three-day event--encouraging fans to visit and learn about Degree Men while receiving samples and giveaways. The Air Guard Boat presented by Degree Men will be on hand at the display for fan photo opportunities.  In addition to the display, Degree Men ambassadors will also be touring the campgrounds and sampling Degree Men to the campers around the event. 

The Air Guard Championship presented by Degree Men will be seen on the Versus Network on Saturday, October 16, and will be streamed live on the internet by Tampa Digital Studios. For more information on San Diego Bayfair, visit http://www.sandiegobayfair.org/.

 

This weekend the Bulldawg team makes its return to Daytona for the superspeedway's second race of the season.  Our team will be there supporting Greg Biffle as he pilots the No.16 Scotch-Brite 3M Ford Fusion around the track.  In addition, we will have our 3M trackside activation unit in the corporate display area sampling 3M products.  Fans can stop by to play games and pick up samples and coupons from Scotch-Brite, Filtrete, Scotch, Post-It, Scotch-Blue, Nexcare, ACE and FUTURO.  Also fans can register to win a 2011 Ford Fiesta at the display!

If you're in Daytona for the races, make a point to stop by the 3M display and see what 3M innovation has to offer!

 

It's been a busy month for the Bulldawg Team.  We started off the month with a great experience at the 2010 Masters Tournament, where we managed a great customer hospitality event.  Then our team was off to Texas Motor Speedway where in addition to our Suave and Hellmann's displays we launched our newest display for 3M.  The 3M display drew in the large crowds all weekend, with 6 brands sampling fans walked away with branded giveaways.  Even though last weekend provided a few new challenges for our team at Talladega when the severe weather blew in, we ended up evacuating the track on Saturday and then coming back on Sunday for a double-header.  On Sunday we re-opened our displays and intercepted those fans who stuck it out. 

To wrap up the month of April our team left for Richmond  for some short track racing on one of the premiere facilities on the circuit.  In Richmond we had our Hellmann's display set-up in the campground and continued the brand-building program by distributing tents, chairs and flags.  Also Jamie McMurray took the wheel of the No.88 Hellmann's Chevy for the 3^rd time and finished 3rd (best finish for Hellmann's of the season). 

The Bulldawg Team is ready for an action packed weekend in Bristol, TN.  We will have three trackside displays at Bristol and Kelly Bires will be piloting the No. 88 Hellmann's Car this weekend in the Nationwide Series.   Let's cheer Kelly on as he makes his debut in the No. 88 Hellmann's car.

If you are out at the track this weekend make sure to visit our TaxSlayer.com and Suave Men displays in the corporate display area.  Also be on the lookout in the campgrounds as our Hellmann's Ambassadors will be roaming the grounds passing out medallions to redeem at the Hellmann's Ultimate Tailgating Trailer for some cool prizes.  The trailer is located in at the Dragway entrance near the fan shuttle pick up and fans are encouraged to visit and spend some time with the Hellmann's Ambassadors.

This past weekend in Atlanta, Suave Men launched their Corporate Display highlighting their new partnership with JR Motorsports and driver Kelly Bires.  The display itself features a kid's corner with a pinewood derby track, a trivia wheel, slot machine and sampling tables.  Along with the display Suave Men also set up sampling in various shower houses at Atlanta, promoting their new 3-1 Men Shampoo, Conditioner and Body Wash. 

 

Be on the lookout for the No.88 Suave Men Chevy at Nashville and Chicagoland this year as Kelly Bires takes the wheel in his first year with JR Motorsports.

  Last weekend Hellmann's launched their new corporate activation display.  This year Hellmann's took a completely new approach and created an "Ultimate Tailgating Trailer" featured in the campgrounds.  Fans are encouraged to visit the trailer and play the Hellmann's Jar knock down game Hellmann's also had brand ambassadors roaming the campgrounds in branded golf carts handing out medallions for fans to redeem at the trailer for some very cool prizes-- Up for grabs  were a Dale Jr. Hellmann's flag, folding chair and even a 10x10 ez-up party tent. 

So race fans if you're planning on attending Bristol the weekend of 3/20 be on the lookout for the Hellmann's Trailer and Brand ambassadors in the campgrounds to win Hellmann's prizes.