Start Your Engines: Bowling Meets Racing at the GoBowling.com 400 at Pocono Raceway

LONG POND, Pa., Aug. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Two of America's great pastimes came together with the first-ever GoBowling.com 400, a two year sponsorship program that renamed the August NASCAR Sprint Cup Series ace after the great sport of bowling.  Pocono Raceway and Strike Ten Entertainment, the sponsorship activation arm of the bowling industry, rolled out the groundbreaking, multi-faceted partnership deal, bringing together two of the nation's favorite sports brands: NASCAR and GoBowling.com, the official brand of bowling.

With comedian Dane Cook serving as Grand Marshal, fans also had a chance to see the most famed car in NASCAR featuring the GoBowling.com branding – the No. 43 Ford Fusion, made famous by legendary driver Richard Petty.  The freshly rebranded car was now operating with GoBowling.com as the primary sponsor via a partnership with Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) and Strike Ten Entertainment.  The car, driven by Aric Almirola, completed the GoBowling.com 400 in the 20^th position. 

"This groundbreaking partnership joins two great American pastimes while leveraging the power of NASCAR to introduce the GoBowling.com brand to millions of new consumers and to further elevate the profile of our great sport," said Frank DeSocio, president of Strike Ten Entertainment.  "We're also so proud to associate the GoBowling.com brand with Pocono Raceway and Richard Petty Motorsports, two iconic American brands that share our values of fun, family and sportsmanship."

In addition to the renaming of the race as the GoBowling.com 400 and the introduction of the GoBowling.com No. 43 Ford Fusion, Pocono Raceway and Strike Ten Entertainment deployed an integrated sponsorship campaign that extended across multiple platforms that included traditional marketing, digital and social media as well as event activations. The program also included the GoBowling.com 400 "Stop Your Thirst & Start The Race" Sweepstakes, which provided grand prize winner Justin Small of Rock Hill, South Carolina with an opportunity to be 'Honorary Race Starter' and wave the green flag that started the 400-mile race. The contest was conducted across approximately 2,100 participating bowling centers nationwide with Small receiving round-trip airfare, hotel accommodations and VIP tickets to the race.

"There's no brand more powerful than bowling and we're absolutely thrilled to bring the GoBowling.com 400 to Pocono Raceway and align two sports that are Americana at its best," said Brandon Igdalsky, Pocono Raceway President and CEO. "This is also a very exciting partnership for our raceway, for our staff and for me on a personal level as bowling is an activity that I regularly enjoy with my wife and my daughters."

The partnership program also included a series of GoBowling.com-themed bowling league promotional contests and in-center marketing elements, as well as other initiatives that were rolled out across thousands of participating bowling centers.

GoBowling.com is the website to visit to learn more about the 2,100+ bowling centers around the country.  Fans can learn about their local bowling centers, promotional offers, bowling tips and more.

About GoBowling.com
GoBowling.com is the destination for bowling fans and enthusiasts seeking news and information about one of America's favorite pastimes and the nation's number one participatory sport.  With more than 71 million people taking to the lanes every year, GoBowling.com is a one-stop location where people of all ages can go to satisfy their love of bowling.  Consumers turn to GoBowling.com every day to find bowling fun – discovering new bowling centers, tips and tricks to use on the lanes, event news and great deals at more than 2,100+ family-friendly bowling centers across the country.

About Strike Ten Entertainment
Headquartered in Arlington, Texas, Strike Ten Entertainment is the centralized sponsor-activation arm of the bowling industry. Strike Ten Entertainment serves all organizations of bowling by coordinating the industry's sales and marketing efforts. Strike Ten Entertainment's mission is to increase national awareness of bowling and to assist the bowling industry in developing new bowlers and increasing the frequency of existing bowlers each year through promotions, publicity and industry-wide marketing initiatives.

About Pocono Raceway
"The Tricky Triangle" is host to two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, one IZOD IndyCar Series, one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series; two ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards and one Firestone Indy Light Series events each year. Pocono Raceway's 2.5-mile triangular design makes it truly unique.  Pocono is the only track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Circuit with three turns, three different radii and three variant degrees of banking.  All that ensures our fans will enjoy some serious action, meanwhile presenting a competitive challenge to the world's best drivers and their crew chiefs.  Pocono strives to create a family atmosphere with increased focus on the Fan Experience.  We are Pocono Raceway and this is "The Tricky Triangle." 

In business for over 50 years, Pocono Raceway is family-owned and situated in the beautiful Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania.  We are located within 300 miles of one-third of the U.S. population and within 90 miles of New York City and Philadelphia.  Pocono Raceway is and always will be an attractive option for NASCAR and race fans alike.

Pocono Raceway is the world's largest solar powered sports facility. The Raceway developed a 25 acre, three megawatt solar farm that provides the energy needs of the Raceway as well as adding electricity to the local power grid. 

About Richard Petty Motorsports
Richard Petty Motorsports (www.richardpettymotorsports.com), co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty, Andrew Murstein and Douglas Bergeron, fields two teams in competition in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Aric Almirola pilots the famous No. 43 Ford Fusion with primary partners Smithfield Foods, U.S. Air Force and STP and Marcos Ambrose drives the No. 9 machine with primary partners Stanley and DEWALT. In addition, Michael Annett wheels the No. 43 Pilot Flying J Ford Mustang full time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The team is headquartered in Concord, N.C.

SOURCE GoBowling.com