NASCAR has struck a licensing deal with Los Angeles clothing manufacturer Jerry Leigh Inc. to make NASCAR-branded clothes for women — including pants, shorts, shirts and miniskirts — and funnel them into the mainstream. The for-profit enterprise, based in Daytona Beach, Fla., says that 40 percent of its 75 million fans are women. Retail behemoth Wal-Mart Stores Inc. began selling the NASCAR line in women’s and plus sizes in some of its stores earlier this year. Kmart Corp. also carries the line. And specialty and department store chains, including Sears, Roebuck & Co., are testing the brand in juniors’ sizes.( Charleston Post and Courier )(6-13-2003)
