Sunoco-NASCAR Giveaway Pushes Two-Wheel Prize

Sunoco and NASCAR are running a chopper giveaway with a novel tag line for a gas company: “Cars are overrated.”

That’s the headline on one of the hanging “nozzle-talker” signs Sunoco customers will see this month when they pull in to their local filling station. With each Sunoco fill-up—10-gallon minimum—customers receive glossy 8×10-inch cards featuring NASCAR stars Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart or Kasey Kahne.

Collecting all four cards enables customers to enter a sweepstakes to win a $40,000 motorcycle built by Orange County Choppers. The cards, depicting the drivers on their OCCs, form a large puzzle, which renders a flashy NASCAR logo in the middle. Customers match the logo with logos displayed at suncochopper.com to register to win the bike.

Sunoco is in the midst of a 10-year deal as official fuel of NASCAR, and LevLane created and executed the promotion based on a perceived confluence between NASCAR and OCC fans. “Sunoco is also the official fuel of Orange County Choppers, and there’s a lot of overlap there,” said Sarah Lenhard, LevLane senior vice president.

The campaign uses the cards to play on the habits of NASCAR fans, who are inveterate memorabilia collectors, Lenhard noted.

Radio spots, print ads in Sporting News and NASCAR publications, POP displays and banner advertising on the NASCAR site is intended to build awareness for the promotion starting Sept. 1 and concluding on Oct. 31.

The promotion is being activated in markets between Maine and Floria, excluding New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia, and west to markets including Tennessee, Illinois and Michigan.