Elk Grove Village's next sports marketing sponsorship: NASCAR
With a stock car burnout, the school band and cheerleaders, NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski and passenger Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson made a grand entrance at the Elk Grove High School front driveway Monday to announce the village's latest sports marketing sponsorship.
The Northwest suburban municipality - of Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl fame - has inked a two-year marketing partnership with the Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing team that will enable it to affix its business marketing tagline, logo and brand to the No. 6 Ford Mustang stock car during the NASCAR Chicago Street race events next year.
The announcement was made during the ninth Made in Elk Grove Manufacturing & Technology Expo at the high school. The daylong exhibition, awards and networking event highlights businesses within the village's sprawling industrial park - which the village has sought to promote through several unconventional marketing sponsorships. The town sponsored the college football bowl game in 2018 and 2019, plus three USA Olympic teams last year.
"Elk Grove Village is home to the largest industrial park in North America. We're surrounded by incredible transportation options and our town works hard to make this a destination for businesses," Johnson said in a statement. "Partnering with RFK for a marquee race allows us to reach a huge audience with a partner that shares a passion in American business and manufacturing."
Besides his success on the racing circuit, Keselowski is owner and founder of Statesville, North Carolina-based Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing, a hybrid manufacturing company that specializes in additive metal technologies and computer numerical control machining.
"This is a one-of-a-kind partnership and one I am especially thrilled about," Keselowski said. "Mayor Johnson and his team and residents of Elk Grove have a clear handle on the manufacturing industry, and have shown through many examples ways in which they give back to the community and surrounding areas. The Chicago race next year will be one of the most anticipated events in our sport's history, and we're proud to carry Elk Grove Village with us on board the No. 6 Ford."
The downtown street race, set for July 4 weekend, will feature a 12-turn, 2.2-mile course that will run against the backdrop of landmarks such as Buckingham Fountain and Soldier Field.