Crown Royal will make its regular season debut as a primary sponsor of Kurt Busch’s #97 Ford this weekend at Martinsville Speedway. This will be the first of five races that the #97 will exhibit the Crown Royal colors. Previously, Busch drove the Crown Royal car to a sixth place finish in the non-points Shootout race during Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway. This week Kurt Busch participated in a broadcast television Public Service Announcement (PSA) on responsible drinking. The PSA is part of Crown Royal’s commitment to promote responsible drinking with millions of NASCAR’s adult fans through its “Be a Champion. Drink Responsibly.” campaign. The PSA is scheduled to air throughout the summer and fall months. Crown Royal has unveiled a national television commercial starring the #97 Ford Taurus. Titled “Pace Car,” the execution features the #97 racecar leading a fleet of automobiles in pace car formation through winding rural, suburban and city streets, eventually ending at a racetrack. The ad is punctuated with a voice over declaring, “Pacing is everything, especially when drinking,” and closes with the brand’s social responsibility tagline, “Be a Champion. Drink Responsibly.” This marked the very first spirits ad since NASCAR announced it was allowing spirits companies to sponsor race teams.(Alan Taylor Communications), see image of the car on my #97 Team Schemes page.(4-6-2005)
