Census Bureau Takes to the Race Track With Roush Fenway Sponsorship

Three-Race Deal With the No. 16 Ford and Driver Greg Biffle Takes Message of 2010 Census Participation to New Speeds

WASHINGTON, March 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Census Bureau today officially announced an agreement with Roush Fenway Racing to serve as the primary sponsor of the No. 16 Ford Fusion driven by Greg Biffle for three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090226/CENSUSLOGO)

The agreement will see the No. 16 carry a special 2010 Census paint job in Sprint Cup races at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, March 7; Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday, March 21; and Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, March 28. To increase awareness and encourage participation among hard-to-count populations living in rural parts of the country in the upcoming 2010 Census, the three-race sponsorship schedule lines up with key census mail-out and mail-back dates.

NASCAR has 75 million fans across the country and is the number one spectator sport with an average of 120,000 spectators at each Sprint Cup Series event. For television viewership, NASCAR ranks second-highest out of regular-season sports events.

"NASCAR Sprint Cup racing is one of America's most popular sports and an especially effective avenue through which to reach a huge number of fans, reminding them their 2010 Census forms will be arriving in mid-March and to mail them back," said Census Bureau Director Robert Groves. "It is our hope that NASCAR fans across the country see the No. 16 car on the track and are encouraged to speak for their community by filling out the forms and mailing them back."

The 2010 Census No. 16 Ford Fusion will feature the familiar Post-it Brand notes of primary sponsor 3M carrying both the 2010 Census logo and "mail it back!" on the hood, rear quarter panels and rear bumper. Additional elements stemming from the $1.2 million sponsorship to further extend the promotions reach include television spots on Fox during the races; a public service announcement with Greg Biffle and 10 show car dates across the country.

"NASCAR reaches millions of Americans, and our paid sponsorship of Greg and the No. 16 Roush Fenway Ford is a practical one," Groves said. "For every 1 percent increase in mail response, taxpayers will save an estimated $85 million. Those funds would otherwise be required to send census takers to collect responses in person from households that don't mail back the form."

Biffle is a nine-year veteran of NASCAR's Cup Series and is one of the sport's top-performers. He is off to a great start in 2010 with three top-10 finishes in as many races. Biffle currently sits in sixth place in the 2010 Sprint Cup Series points. In addition, the Vancouver, Wash., native recently filmed a racing-themed 2010 Census public service announcement that can be viewed online at http://mediadownload.census.gov/content/greg-biffle.

For more information on the 2010 Census and the No. 16 team, please visit http://2010census.gov and www.roushfenway.com. Still images of the car are available upon request. To view the Greg Biffle PSA, visit http://censusspotsource.org/census-psa-1-5.

ABOUT THE 2010 CENSUS

The 2010 Census is a count of everyone living in the United States. By law, everyone in the United States, both citizens and noncitizens, must be counted every 10 years. Census data are used to reapportion congressional seats to states and directly affect how more than $400 billion per year in federal funding is distributed to state, local and tribal governments. The 2010 Census form is one of the shortest census questionnaires in history and takes about 10 minutes to complete. By law, the Census Bureau cannot share respondents' answers with anyone, including other federal agencies and law enforcement entities.

As with all 2010 Census information, the address information collected by the Census Bureau is confidential by law (Title 13, U.S. Code, Section 9). All Census Bureau employees take an oath of nondisclosure and are sworn for life to protect the confidentiality of the data. The penalty for unlawful disclosure is a fine of up to $250,000 or imprisonment of up to five years, or both.

Editor's note: News releases, reports and data tables are available on the Census Bureau's home page. Go to http://www.census.gov and click on "Releases."

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau