Start Your Engines! Historic Moment For Bowling And Racing As Richard Petty Is Named Grand Marshal Of GoBowling.com 400 At Pocono Raceway

LONG POND, Pa., July 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- In a historic moment that bridges two of America's great past times, racing icon Richard Petty will return to Pocono Raceway to serve as Grand Marshal of the GoBowling.com 400. The event will celebrate both the GoBowling.com 400 and the 40^th anniversary of Pocono Raceway's first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event where Petty drove the STP Oil Treatment Dodge and became the inaugural winner of the Pennsylvania 500 on August 4, 1974. In a tribute to both the great sport of bowling and Petty himself, Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM)'s Aric Almirola will drive the No. 43 Ford Fusion, which will feature an eye catching bowling themed paint scheme and GoBowling.com branding.  Almirola enters the race riding high after recently driving his way to victory lane for his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win at the recent July 6^th Daytona 400 Race. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway, which was renamed the GoBowling.com 400 last year, will be held on Sunday, August 3.

"This race carries special meaning for me as I think back to the thrill of tasting victory at the inaugural race at Pocono back in 1974.  I see no better way to celebrate this milestone moment than by celebrating both racing and bowling, another sport that is pure Americana," said Richard Petty. "I am particularly excited to team up again with GoBowling.com and the bowling industry. Bowling isn't only just a lot of fun but it's a great sport that, like racing, brings people together and can be enjoyed by people of all ages and from all walks of life."

In addition to again renaming the race the GoBowling.com 400, and the branding 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.

"This race and partnership marks an incredible moment in sports history. We are taking the connection built between racing and bowling with the inaugural GoBowling.com 400 to the next level by celebrating the incredible milestone of Richard's 40^th anniversary of his first NASCAR victory at Pocono and creating a new one as Aric drives the No. 43 Ford Fusion GoBowling.com race car in Richard's honor," said John Harbuck, Interim President of Strike Ten Entertainment. "The race also enables us to build relevance for bowling in a powerful way by further tapping into the power of the NASCAR fandom while also activating our fan base of bowling enthusiasts throughout the country."

The program includes a special promotion entitled "Win $43,000 if #43 Wins" that will be implemented exclusively at Pocono Raceway over the GoBowling.com 400 race weekend. Race attendees can enter at any GoBowling.com Entry Tent or with GoBowling.com Entry teams that will be circulating throughout the Fan Fair, infield and grandstand areas. One lucky fan and a guest will win the opportunity to sit in the No. 43 pit box along with the No. 43 Crew Chief and Crew and will also win $43,000 if Almirola and the #43 Ford Fusion ends up in Victory Lane.   

Through their Pepsi partnership, BPAA and GoBowling.com launched a nationwide On-Cup prize promotion that culminated in one lucky fan winning an expense paid trip to the GoBowling.com 400 to be the honorary race starter.  The program also included a series of GoBowling.com-themed bowling league promotions and in-center marketing initiatives that were rolled out across thousands of participating bowling centers throughout the US.

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 69 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
Pocono Raceway, also known as "The Tricky Triangle," is family-owned and situated in the beautiful Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. In business for over 50 years, the Raceway hosts multiple, national motorsports events including two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, one Verizon IndyCar Series, one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, two ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards and one Indy Lights Series presented by Cooper Tires events each year. The Raceway has added multiple running series events to their annual schedule including the Tough Mudder and the Warrior Dash. Pocono Raceway is the world's largest solar-powered sports facility with a 25-acre, three-megawatt solar farm providing the energy needs of the Raceway, as well as, adding electricity to the local power grid. For more information, please visit www.poconoraceway.com.

About Richard Petty Motorsports
Richard Petty Motorsports (www.richardpettymotorsports.com), co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Richard Petty, Andrew Mursteinand 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