NASCAR, International Speedway Corp. and Cie Games Facebook Partnership Gives CAR TOWN Players the Green Flag at Daytona 500
NASCAR, International Speedway Corporation and Cie Games Facebook Partnership Gives ‘Car Town’ Players the Green Flag at Daytona International Speedway
In-Game ‘Daytona Challenge’ Lets Fans Pick Their Favorite Car, Assemble a Pit Crew And Take the Ultimate Virtual Victory Lap on Facebook
LONG BEACH, Calif. (February 18, 2011) – When top drivers hit the new asphalt at Daytona International Speedway this Sunday, they’ll be joined by a whole new field of virtual drivers and pit crews, thanks to a partnership among Cie Games – publisher and developer of the popular Facebook game Car Town (www.cartown.com) – NASCAR and International Speedway Corporation, parent company of Daytona International Speedway. The goal: give millions of racing enthusiasts an entirely new way to experience auto racing.
Beginning Saturday, race fans entering the Daytona International Speedway in Car Town will be transported to a virtual race track where players take part in the “Daytona Challenge” by assembling a pit crew, building a stock car from the ground up orclimbing behind the wheel of cars driven by the world’s fastest drivers – Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch. Or, players may pick their favorite driver from Richard Petty Motorsports, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates and Michael Waltrip Racing teamswhile competing to earn their unique NASCAR livery. More teams will be announced in the near future.
“The NASCAR partnership with Car Town marries the premiere stock car racing franchise with the largest automotive Facebook social game,” said Blake Davidson, vice president of Licensing and Consumer Productsat NASCAR. “As a result, we are able to extend the thrill and excitement of stock car racing to a new and younger generation of fans in Car Town.”
Launched in August 2010, Car Town already has attracted nearly 8 million players, making it one of the most in-demand games available on Facebook. With 46 percent of Car Town gamers playing at least once every three days, and 80 percent of all players age 34 or younger, the game’s fans represent a particularly attractive market segment to all sectors of the automobile and motor sports industries.
“NASCAR is a great organization with a rich history and a loyal fan base,” said Justin Choi, president and CEO of Cie Games. “This partnership brings together social gaming and stock car racing and offers NASCAR fans a new way to interact with their favorite teams and drivers. We’re very proud and excited to be working with NASCAR.”
About Cie Games
Cie Games (www.ciegames.com) creates online social games that deliver deeper engagement and a richer experience to game players while serving as a powerful media platform for advertisers. Its popular game Car Town (www.cartown.com) has 8 million active users and is one of the largest games available on Facebook. Cie Games builds interactive media properties that combine gaming, social networking, online advertising, product placement and brand interaction. Cie Games is located in Long Beach, Calif., but operates at the intersection of Silicon Valley, Hollywood and Madison Avenue.
About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for one of North America's premier sports. NASCAR is the No. 1 spectator sport – with more of the top 20 highest attended sporting events in the U.S. than any other sport, and is the No. 2 rated regular-season sport on television. NASCAR races are broadcast in more than 150 countries and in 20 languages. NASCAR fans are the most brand loyal in all of sports, and as a result more Fortune 500 companies participate in NASCAR than any other sport.
NASCAR consists of three national series (the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series), four regional series, and one local grassroots series, as well as two international series. Also part of NASCAR is Grand-Am Road Racing, known for its competition on road courses with multiple classes of cars. NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races at 100 tracks in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada and Mexico. Based in Daytona Beach (Fla.), NASCAR has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Charlotte (N.C.), Concord (N.C.), Conover (N.C.), Bentonville (Ark.), Mexico City, and Toronto.
About International Speedway Corporation
International Speedway Corporation is a leading promoter of motorsports activities, currently promoting more than 100 racing events annually as well as numerous other motorsports-related activities. The Company owns and/or operates 13 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities, including Daytona International Speedway® in Florida (home of the DAYTONA 500®); Talladega Superspeedway® in Alabama; Michigan International Speedway® located outside Detroit; Richmond International Raceway® in Virginia; Auto Club Speedway of Southern CaliforniaSM near Los Angeles; Kansas Speedway® in Kansas City, Kansas; Phoenix International Raceway® in Arizona; Chicagoland Speedway® and Route 66 RacewaySM near Chicago, Illinois; Homestead-Miami SpeedwaySM in Florida; Martinsville Speedway® in Virginia; Darlington Raceway® in South Carolina; and Watkins Glen International® in New York. In addition, ISC promotes major motorsports activities in Montreal, Quebec, through its subsidiary, Stock-Car Montreal.
The Company also owns and operates MRN® Radio, the nation's largest independent sports radio network and Americrown Service CorporationSM, a subsidiary that provides catering services, food and beverage concessions, and produces and markets motorsports-related merchandise. For more information, visit the Company's Web site at www.internationalspeedwaycorporation.com.