Nascar Official Pizza: Why the big deal?

Nascar Official Pizza:

Excerpts from a 2005 press release: ANN ARBOR, Mich., -- Domino's Pizza (NYSE: DPZ), the recognized world leader in pizza delivery and the Official Pizza of NASCAR, today announced it will extend its partnership with the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR).

"We continue to be a proud sponsor of NASCAR, and feel our brand has been enhanced by this partnership," says David A. Brandon, chairman and CEO of Domino's Pizza. "As the number one choice for pizza among NASCAR fans, we feel we have been rewarded for our connection to this exciting sport."

By focusing its marketing and advertising efforts on promoting Race Day is Domino's Pizza Day, Domino's has increased sales consistently across the country on race days by promoting the Race Day 555 Deal. When NASCAR fans are preparing to watch a race, ordering pizza from Domino's is becoming part of their race day ritual.

"Domino's is a brand category leader and we are always looking for ways to reach our consumers, just as NASCAR is always looking for ways to reach its fans," said Brandon. "Our research tells us that NASCAR fans are 6 times as likely to order Domino's because we are its Official Pizza."

The road ahead is promising. Domino's Pizza is the title sponsor of the upcoming Domino's Pizza 250 NASCAR Busch Series race on August 20 at Michigan International Speedway (TNT 3 p.m.), and the primary sponsor of driver Michael Waltrip's No. 99 Domino's Pizza car. Taken together, Domino's NASCAR activation through its official status and its team and track relationships allow for the best fan exposure.

NASCAR Commentary: Nascar Official Pizza must be quite a title to hold - There were 398,447 searches last month for "nascar official pizza" according to Yahoo - that is more search requests than "NASCAR!" Do we all really like Domino's that much? It is a mystery to me...