Crown Royal becomes Brickyard 400 title sponsor

INDIANAPOLIS — Crown Royal is taking its shot in NASCAR by sponsoring the Brickyard 400.

The whiskey maker says it has a multiyear deal with Indianapolis Motor Speedway to rename the race the Crown Royal “Your Hero’s Name Goes Here” 400 at the Brickyard, starting in 2012. Financial details were not released. The company plans to hold a contest to select the fan’s name that will be incorporated into the title.

The announcement came Thursday at the historic 2.5-mile oval, which is hosting its annual Cup race Sunday.

Speedway CEO Jeff Belskus says he expects a race day crowd that will be about the same size as last year’s, more than 100,000, though five sections of grandstands will be closed. He says ticket sales have been better over the last month.