CHARLOTTE, N.C., Sept. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank of America, the Official Bank of NASCAR, today announced its promotional campaign for the upcoming Bank of America 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway on October 13, 2007. The campaign offers customers a chance to live in the high-octane world of NASCAR racing through a number of fan-friendly opportunities including a contest to determine the Honorary Grand Marshal for the race, a free uptown Charlotte race-themed festival, and access to a suite of personal banking products and rewards designed specifically for NASCAR's 75 million fans.
"NASCAR's fans hold a special place in their hearts for Charlotte and the Bank of America 500, and this campaign is meant to recognize that incredible loyalty," said Ray Bednar, Global Sponsorship Marketing executive for Bank of America. "We hope that in creating these opportunities we are providing fans with an incomparable customer experience that speaks directly to their passion and could only be attained with Bank of America."
Bank of America's marketing efforts around the 2007 Bank of America 500 include:
Bank of America 500 Honorary Grand Marshal Contest
The "Bank of America 500 Honorary Grand Marshal" contest gives fans the opportunity to audition their best 'start your engines' command and signal the world's best drivers to fire their ignition switches during the bank's signature race.
Fans have two ways to win a spot to compete in the contest, which will be held on October 9 during the Bank of America 500 Fan Fest in uptown Charlotte. Fans can visit any Charlotte-area Bank of America banking center between September 17, 2007 and October 1, 2007 to pick up an entry form. Fans may also enter to win a contest spot on-site at the Food Lion AutoFair at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 15, 2007.
In total, 20 fans will audition before a panel of celebrity judges who will score each "Gentlemen, Start Your Engines" performance on delivery, creativity and overall enthusiasm. The winning performance will earn one lucky fan the title of 'Honorary Grand Marshal' of the Bank of America 500, a VIP experience for them and a guest -- including the opportunity to ride in the pace car at the start of the race, pit passes, seats in an exclusive fan section on Turn 4, access to a private food court, and food and beverage vouchers -- and a gift pack of Bank of America 500 racing merchandise. (No purchase necessary to enter or win.)
Judges for the "Bank of America 500 Honorary Grand Marshal" contest include Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, NASCAR driver Kasey Kahne, Lowe's Motor Speedway President and General Manager H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, Charlotte Bobcats President Fred Whitfield and one lucky Bank of America associate. NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace will emcee the event.
Bank of America 500 Fan Fest
To bring the excitement of race week to uptown Charlotte, Bank of America will close down the city's busiest streets to host the first-ever "Bank of America 500 Fan Fest." The interactive festival is designed for fans of all ages, and will feature various experiential race-themed displays, opportunities for fans to win prizes or meet their favorite NASCAR personality, a concert, and entertainment for the entire Charlotte community. The Bank of America 500 Fan Fest is scheduled for Tuesday, October 9, 2007 from noon to 9:00 PM, and is free to the general public.
NASCAR Banking
Now fans can make their passion for racing part of their every day banking with NASCAR Banking, the first nationwide suite of banking products specifically designed for race fans. Through this exclusive personal banking program from Bank of America, fans can sign-up for a set of NASCAR-branded checks, check cards and credit cards accompanied by a unique rewards system. Every time a NASCAR Banking account holder uses their personal check card or credit card, they earn RacePoints® redeemable for NASCAR merchandise, prizes and even exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Currently, NASCAR Nextel Cup Series drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Martin Truex and Paul Menard, along with the late Dale Earnhardt and the NASCAR logo, are featured on the check cards, with a large assortment of additional drivers available on the credit cards. Fans who sign up for a NASCAR Checking account or NASCAR Credit Card between September 17, 2007 and October 20, 2007 can get a free six month subscription to "NASCAR Scene" and a month-long subscription to NASCAR Trackpass on NASCAR.com.
VIP Hospitality
Bank of America also has created a number of hospitality programs to provide customers, clients and associates with unique and exclusive access to the thrills and excitement of the Bank of America 500. Bank of America is enhancing its popular Turn 4 Club grand-stand seating section created especially for last year's inaugural Bank of America 500. By expanding capacity with 200 additional seats, the Bank of America Turn 4 Club now will provide club-level seating on race day for more than 1,000 fans. The special section will provide an optimal view of the race and include access to a private food court, concierge services, food and beverage vouchers, interactive games and promotions, and free Bank of America 500 racing merchandise.
Bank of America also will bring the Bank of America "Champions Club" to the Bank of America 500. This high-end mobile hospitality vehicle will be stationed in the infield and will entertain invited clients in a high-tech, race-themed environment. The "Champions Club" provides a first-class NASCAR experience with amenities such as an observation deck for a birds-eye view of the race, pit and garage tours, an internet lounge, full bar and several flat screen TV's to enjoy all the racing action.
Associate Programs
Select Bank of America associates will have the opportunity to take part in the ultimate fan experience and be a part of the pre-race driver introduction ceremonies. The associates, chosen as part of an internal bank promotion, will ride alongside their favorite NASCAR drivers during the pre- race introduction lap in front of more than 167,000 fans at the Bank of America 500.
Bank of America and NASCAR
Bank of America is widely recognized as a major corporate supporter of motorsports, serving as the Official Bank of NASCAR and issuer of the Officially Licensed NASCAR Credit Card. Bank of America's involvement with racing dates back to the early 1980's, when its legacy banks in Virginia and North Carolina sponsored races and provided financing for motor speedways throughout the United States. Over the last two decades, the company's foray into racing has continued to expand. In 2005, Bank of America announced multi- year sponsorship agreements with International Speedway Corporation (ISC) and Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI), for a combined total of 10 track sponsorships and title sponsorship of the Bank of America 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. In 2006, Bank of America entered into a multi-year agreement with the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) to become the Official Bank of NASCAR.
Bank of America
Bank of America is one of the world's largest financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk-management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving more than 57 million consumer and small business relationships with more than 5,700 retail banking offices, more than 17,000 ATMs and award-winning online banking with more than 22 million active users. Bank of America is the No. 1 overall Small Business Administration (SBA) lender in the United States and the No. 1 SBA lender to minority-owned small businesses. The company serves clients in 175 countries and has relationships with 99 percent of the U.S. Fortune 500 companies and 80 percent of the Fortune Global 500. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Member FDIC.
http://www.bankofamerica.com/
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SOURCE: Bank of America
CONTACT: Joseph L. Goode of Bank of America, +1-617-434-7314,
joseph.l.goode@bankofamerica.com; or Jerry Gappens of Lowe's Motor Speedway,
+1-704-455-4359, jgappens@lowesmotorspeedway.com
Web site: http://www.bankofamerica.com/
