NHRA Signs Powerade

The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) announced today a title sponsorship agreement with Powerade, a Coca-Cola brand, for its 23-event World Championship Drag Racing Series. The series will now be known as the NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series.

The new deal ends speculation as to how the number-two motorsports sanctioning body in the U.S. would fare upon ending its 27-year partnership with the Winston brand after what was NHRA’s 50th anniversary season in 2001. According to NHRA President Tom Compton, Powerade’s five-year commitment to the series, which boasts huge increases in the series point funds for the professional categories (The winner’s share of the Pro Stock Bike fund is increased from $35,000 to $50,000) while maintaining current bonus structures, should provide satisfactory answers to many of those questions.

“This is the biggest news of the ‘second 50 years’ of NHRA Drag Racing,” Compton said. “It will go down as one of the most important days in NHRA history. When searching for a suitable title sponsor, we established two objectives: First, we wanted to find a company or product that appealed to a large segment of the public. Second, we wanted focus - a partner, not just a name on the sign. We wanted to become an integral part of their marketing campaign over a long term. I am proud to say that we have met those objectives and more. No more questions, no more speculation, it’s official.”

As part of the agreement Coca-Cola becomes the official soft drink of NHRA, and Dasani becomes the official bottled water of NHRA.

“What a day for Coca-Cola and over 75,000 Coca-Cola people,” the company’s North American Division president, Sandy Douglas, said. “Good relationships are formed when you have a lot in common and when you realize that there is still a lot that you can do together. Drag Racing has a rich history, and we look forward to working with NHRA for the next five years and toward the next 50 years.”