MILWAUKEE, Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ — The long-standing “battle of the beer cars” on NASCAR tracks could take on added significance during the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season if Anheuser-Busch is feeling confident about the performance of the #8 Budweiser team.
Miller Lite today announced its 2007 NASCAR challenge to Budweiser, this time putting naming rights to Miller Park on the line for a weekend series between the Milwaukee Brewers and the St. Louis Cardinals. The challenge, introduced by Miller Lite last season, pits the #2 Miller Lite car against the #8 Budweiser car, with the season-long NASCAR points leader winning the “wager” for his sponsor.
If the Miller Lite car finishes ahead of the Budweiser car in the season standings, Busch Stadium will be renamed Miller Lite Stadium for a to-be-determined 2008 series in St. Louis between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers. If the Budweiser car finishes the season ahead of the Miller Lite car, Miller Park will be renamed Budweiser Park for a 2008 series in Milwaukee between the same two teams.
“We’re more confident than ever that Kurt Busch and the #2 Miller Lite team are going to be regular contenders for the Nextel Cup championship,” said Tom Long, Miller’s president and CEO. “It’s too bad for Anheuser-Busch that they didn’t take us up on our challenge last year, when Kurt and the team were dealing with the first-year ‘new team’ transition. Kurt already has one title, and now he and the whole Penske Racing garage are focused on adding to that total. We expect to see plenty of Miller Lite flowing in Victory Lane this year.”
The new wager was officially proposed via certified letter from Long to Anheuser-Busch president and CEO August Busch IV, delivered this morning. The ground rules of the wager, as outlined in the letter to Busch IV, are:
— The winning sponsor gets to select the home stand and must provide at
least 12 weeks notice.
— The MLB playoffs are not eligible dates for the change.
— The winning sponsor will receive two (2) primary signage locations
surrounding the exterior of the stadium, three (3) prominent signage
locations around the field itself and ten (10) signs throughout the
concourse.
— Temporary signage will be banners draped over the existing permanent
signage.
— Mutually agreed-upon signage locations will be identified at both
ballparks upon your acceptance of this wager.
— The signs must match the winning sponsor’s brand visual identity.
— Loser pays for the conversion, including production of the temporary
signage.
Legal-drinking-age race fans can visit http://www.millerliteracing.com/ for more information about the challenge, including details on how they can encourage Budweiser to accept.
In tomorrow’s Bud Shootout, the #2 car will feature a special gold paint scheme commemorating Miller Lite’s four gold awards in the World Beer Cup for best American-style light lager. The special paint scheme will feature an in-car camera visual highlighting the proposed wager with Budweiser.
Last year’s challenge, which involved the losing team changing the paint scheme of its car to match the winning team’s colors for one race this season, would have been won by Anheuser-Busch, had they accepted it.
About Miller Brewing Company
As one of America’s oldest brewers, Miller Brewing Company continues the commitment of founder Frederick J. Miller to brew “confoundedly good beers” with “uncompromising quality.” Through more than 150 years of innovation and brewing excellence, Miller has built a broad portfolio of award-winning beers that capture approximately 18 percent of the U.S. beer market. In the past decade, Miller beers have won 105 medals — more than twice as many as its major competitors — at the biannual World Beer Cup and annual Great American Beer Fest. An unprecedented four-time gold award winner at the World Beer Cup, Miller Lite is the great tasting, less filling beer that has defined the American light lager category since 1975. Miller also brews smooth, golden rich Miller Genuine Draft using a unique cold-filtering process introduced in 1985. The company’s oldest brew is Miller High Life, the champagne of beers. Miller imports Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Pilsner Urquell and Foster’s, and it offers regional craft brews from the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company and the Blitz-Weinhard Brewing Company. Near-premium beers include Milwaukee’s Best Light, Steel Reserve, Olde English 800, Mickey’s Malt Liquor, Icehouse and Sharp’s, a non-alcohol brew. Miller also offers the Sparks line of caffeinated alcohol beverages. Miller is a wholly owned subsidiary of SABMiller plc, one of the world’s leading brewers with a global footprint spread across six continents. For more information, visit http://www.millerbrewing.com/ .
