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NEWSDate: Jul 21, 2010 SPHL, NASCAR Rev Up Relationship
ORLANDO, Fla. - At the beginning of the summer, SPHL President Jim Combs announced that the seven-year old league was working on a business relationship with NASCAR, the biggest sporting organization within the league‘s footprint. Monday afternoon, the beginnings of what everyone hopes will be a fruitful association were made public.
The SPHL announced that it will be partnering with the Ryan Newman Foundation during the upcoming season to promote the foundation’s work on behalf of animal welfare. The year-long partnership will feature special game-night promotions in each of the league’s eight cities along with a league-wide contest that will send winners to a NASCAR Sprint Cup race during the 2011 season.
“A lot of our teams already support local charities that relate to animals, animal rescue, pet adoption. Ryan, being a hockey fan, and through our discussions and the people I know there in Charlotte, wanted to get on board and see if he could help and be a part of that. Of course, in return, we would help them,” Combs said in a phone interview. “We’re going to be able to get our fans involved with NASCAR and this will bring more exposure to both sides - the Ryan Newman Foundation and the SPHL.”
Newman, who drives the number 39 car for Stewart-Haas Racing, started the foundation with his wife Krissie in 2005. It’s mission is to educate and encourage people to spay/neuter their pets and to adopt dogs and cats from rescue shelters, to educate children and adults about the importance of conservation of the great outdoors for future generations to enjoy and to provide college scholarship funding through the Rich Vogler Scholarship program to student interested in auto racing careers.
It also turns out that both he and his wife are hockey fans so partnering up with the SPHL was a natural choice.
“Not everyone knows this but Krissie and I are huge hockey fans so when the idea of a possible partnership with the SPHL was presented, we knew we had to make it work,” Newman said in the league-issued release. “The league can have up to 8,000 fans at a game depending on the arena. I don’t know how many games we can attend but I am sure [that] you’ll see us in the stands at a few this season.” Although most of the details are still to be worked out, Combs said the league is very excited to be able to offer winning fans a trip to Charlotte for the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup All-Star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. |
