Coca-Cola Bump Drafts Pepsi Right Into The Wall
Posted by Slobokan @ 04:00 · 179 words · print
Wow, I bet Pepsi never saw this coming.
Coca-Cola has bumped Pepsi out of racing's Daytona 500 as the Atlanta-based beverage company puts the pedal to the metal on its NASCAR marketing.
In a deal expected to be announced today, Coke has bought pouring and marketing rights at Daytona International Speedway and nine other tracks owned by International Speedway Corp.
Pepsi, which currently serves all ten tracks, has been the official beverage company at Daytona for 49 years. Its Pepsi 400 NASCAR race, run there Sunday, will be renamed using one of Coke's brands next year.
By 2011, Coke will have all but five tracks that host NASCAR's elite Nextel Cup Series, which will be renamed the Sprint Cup next year.
Pepsi will still have some huge visibility though, because Gatorade will be staying (it's a Pepsi product) and Victory Lane will still be sponsored by Pepsi at the International Speedway Corporation tracks.
You know that feeling you get when you burp and carbonation burns your nose? I bet the execs at Pepsi have that feeling right now.
Posted In: NASCAR
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