IMS, MillerCoors Extend, Expand Partnership
March 13, 2013 | By IMS
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway and MillerCoors have extended their longstanding partnership, with expanded involvement by the brewer at the Racing Capital of the World.
Miller Lite will continue as the Official Malt Beverage of the Indianapolis 500 and the Kroger Super Weekend at the Brickyard at IMS. MillerCoors also will become a “Podium Partner,” signifying IMS corporate partners of significant investment level.
“IMS has enjoyed a long, successful partnership with MillerCoors, and we’re pleased to continue that relationship for years to come,” said Jeff Belskus, Indianapolis Motor Speedway president and chief executive officer. “MillerCoors has created many innovative promotions surrounding IMS events throughout our relationship, and we’re thrilled the company is expanding its sponsorship and activation.”
Other components of the partnership extension:
- Continued sponsorship of Coors Light Carb Day, the traditional final practice for the Indianapolis 500 that kicks off the extended Race Weekend. The Coors Light Carb Day Concert features a national recording act and draws one of the largest crowds of the year to IMS.
- New presenting sponsorship of the Snake Pit. The Snake Pit, a party area inside Turn 3 at the Indianapolis 500 featuring world-class DJ’s and other festivities, will expand during May. Miller Lite also will participate in the Snake Pit Tour, which promotes the Snake Pit in bars across Indiana during April and May.
- Continued sponsorship of the Miller Lite Party Deck during the Indianapolis 500 and Super Weekend at the Brickyard (NASCAR, GRAND-AM). The Miller Lite Party Deck will open for more days and also will feature new branding.
- Increased facility signage and activation.
“We’re proud of our long partnership with Indianapolis Motor Speedway and look forward to many thrilling moments on and around the track in the years to come,” said Adam Dettman, MillerCoors director of sports and entertainment marketing. “Fans across the world know that few places can match the history and excitement of racing at Indy, no matter what kind of vehicle is on the track.”
The extension of the partnership between IMS and MillerCoors continues a partnership that started in 1977 when Miller Brewing Company first sponsored the Indianapolis 500 Pit Stop Challenge. Miller’s first involvement at the Indianapolis 500 came in 1973, when Miller High Life sponsored the car driven by Jim Hurtubise.
Coors has been involved with IMS and the Indianapolis 500 since 1996, when it started sponsorship of the Pit Stop Challenge. Coors also has sponsored Carb Day and other Indianapolis 500 activities since then.
The 97th Indianapolis 500 is scheduled for Sunday, May 26, with Opening Day on Saturday, May 11. The second annual Kroger Super Weekend at the Brickyard, featuring NASCAR Sprint Cup, NASCAR Nationwide and GRAND-AM Road Racing, is scheduled for July 25-28.
About Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been the worldwide leader in motorsports entertainment since it opened in 1909. The facility has hosted the Indianapolis 500, the world’s largest single-day annual sporting event, since 1911 and also is the site of the Kroger Super Weekend at the Brickyard and the Red Bull Indianapolis GP. IMS is the world’s largest spectator sporting facility and is the only venue to stage annual races in the IZOD IndyCar Series, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, GRAND-AM Road Racing and MotoGP.
About MillerCoors
Built on a foundation of great beer brands and nearly 300 years of brewing heritage, MillerCoors continues the commitment of its founders to brew the highest quality beers. MillerCoors is the second-largest beer company in the United States, capturing nearly 30 percent of beer sales in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Led by two of the best-selling beers in the industry, MillerCoors has a broad portfolio of brands across every major industry segment. The portfolio is led by the company’s premium light brands: Coors Light, Miller Lite and Miller64. Coors Light, the World’s Most Refreshing Beer, offers consumers refreshment as cold as the Rockies. Miller Lite established the American light beer category in 1975, offering beer drinkers a light beer that tastes like beer should.
Miller64 is 64 calories of crisp, light taste that complements a balanced lifestyle. MillerCoors brews premium beers Coors Banquet and Miller Genuine Draft, and economy brands Miller High Life and Keystone Light. Tenth and Blake Beer Company, the MillerCoors craft and import division, imports Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Pilsner Urquell and Grolsch, and features craft brews from the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, Blue Moon Brewing Company and the Blitz-Weinhard Brewing Company. MillerCoors operates eight major breweries in the U.S., as well as the Leinenkugel’s craft brewery in Chippewa Falls, Wisc., and two microbreweries, the Tenth Street Brewery in Milwaukee and the Blue Moon Brewing Company at Coors Field in Denver. The MillerCoors vision is to create the best beer company in America through great people changing the way America enjoys beer.
MillerCoors builds its brands the right way through brewing quality, responsible marketing and sustainable environmental and community impact. MillerCoors is a joint venture of SABMiller plc and Molson Coors Brewing Company. Learn more at MillerCoors.com, at facebook.com/MillerCoors or on Twitter through @MillerCoors.
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2013 tickets on sale: Tickets for all three world-class motorsports events in 2013 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway are on sale. Great seats are available for the 97th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 26, the Kroger Super Weekend at the Brickyard on July 25-28 and Red Bull Indianapolis GP on Aug. 16-18.
Fans can buy tickets at www.ims.com/tickets, by calling (800) 822-INDY or (317) 492-6700 between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday or by visiting the IMS Ticket Office at the IMS Administration Building at the corner of Georgetown Road and 16th Street between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday.
Tickets for groups of 20 or more also are available. Contact the IMS Group Sales Department at (866) 221-8775 for more information.