Pure Michigan has teamed up with the Michigan International Speedway (MIS) to bring more excitement to area racing fans by continuing to support last year's popular Pure Michigan 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.
The state's tourism and branding campaign announced the three-year sponsorship deal at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit Wednesday.
Last summer's Pure Michigan 400 in the Southeast Michigan's scenic Irish Hills marked the first time a state campaign sponsored NASCAR's premier stock car series. The new deal will allow the campaign to keep Michigan products and destinations in the national spotlight at the event.
"The Pure Michigan 400 has proven to be an effective way to bring the Pure Michigan message to 75 million NASCAR fans nationwide," said George Zimmermann, vice president for Travel Michigan at the Michigan Economic Develop Council, which administers the branding campaign. "We encourage NASCAR fans from all over the U.S. to join us in Michigan for great racing at an outstanding track this summer."
Pure Michigan expects the sponsorship to attract visitors and investments to the state. Last year's race came at the tail end of the group's $11.5 million national cable television advertising effort that ran from March through early July.
"The key to the success of our partnership in 2011 was Pure Michigan and MIS had, and still has to this day, similar goals: We both want people to come to this state and see all the wonderful things it has to offer -- beautiful landscapes, fun activities year-round and awesome NASCAR racing," said MIS President Roger Curtis.
This year's Pure Michigan 400 race will take place on Aug. 19.