CONTACT:
Sears Public Relations And Communications
(847) 286-8371
Craftsman to Sponsor ESPN's Innovative Tech Garage During 2009 NASCAR Racing Season
Multimedia Sponsorship Includes On-Air, Online, Print and Radio Elements
BRISTOL, Conn. and HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Feb. 3 /PRNewswire/ --
Craftsman, the official tools of NASCAR, has teamed up with ESPN to present
the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage, an innovative mobile television studio used
throughout the network's NASCAR coverage. This mobile studio gives ESPN the
ability to originate segments from an enclosed, controlled environment with
no external noise interference. ESPN's Tim Brewer, a two-time NASCAR
champion crew chief, and other ESPN analysts report from the unit during
race telecasts to teach viewers about the technical and mechanical aspects
of NASCAR racing, using the Craftsman tools trusted by NASCAR.
"By working with ESPN on the Craftsman Tech Garage, we are not only
enhancing our long relationship with NASCAR, but sharing knowledge from the
place we believe champions originate - the garage," said Erik Rosenstrauch,
Craftsman director of marketing. "Pairing the NASCAR experts at ESPN with
America's most trusted brand in tools gives fans a way to experience our
brand as if they're on the track. And by using ESPN's multiple touch
points, we can communicate with NASCAR fans like never before."
"Craftsman has had a long and successful association with NASCAR," said
Ed Erhardt, president, ESPN Customer Marketing and Sales. "Their
involvement with ESPN's NASCAR coverage helps us build that authentic
experience we strive to deliver to fans each and every race week."
In addition to extensive on-air coverage through prominent Craftsman
signage in the garage, the multi-faceted, season-long sponsorship includes
extensions in print via ESPN the Magazine and through a weekly Tech Garage
feature in the morning race-day show on ESPN Radio. An online component
will bring a virtual tech garage to life on ESPN.com, allowing fans to
interact with the set and understand just how NASCAR works.
The ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage makes its debut during coverage of the
NASCAR Nationwide Series season-opening race at Daytona International
Speedway on Saturday, Feb. 14, at noon ET on ESPN2. In addition to ESPN and
ESPN on ABC's coverage of the final 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races,
segments from the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage will air during ESPN's
exclusive, season-long coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The unit
also is used throughout ESPN's leading non-television media platforms.
The enclosed studio contains the ESPN Chevy Cutaway Car used in ESPN's
NASCAR coverage. The studio also has room for displays of other race car
elements such as engines, transmissions and shock absorbers. Elements of
the ESPN Craftsman Tech Garage include:
> * Two tractor-trailer rigs -- a studio trailer and a support trailer
* An 80,000-pound Featherlite Expandable trailer with dual slide-outs
* Five miles of wiring
* A rear-opening trailer which serves as the entry/exit point for the
Chevy Cutaway Cars
* Two Chevy Cutaway Cars -- a NASCAR Sprint Cup car and a NASCAR
Nationwide Series car. Only one is in the studio at a time, depending
upon which series is being televised, although both could fit.
* More than 100 Craftsman products and tool sets
* Removable lights, cameras, props and cars that are torn down and loaded
after every telecast in three hours
* A 53-foot, 65,000-lbs support trailer that carries the two Chevy
Cutaway Cars and all of the props used in the tech center (parts,
pieces, power train unit, Craftsman tools).
* Multiple plasma television monitors
About NASCAR on ESPN:
ESPN and ABC have comprehensive, multi-platform coverage featuring
telecasts of the final 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup races, including the 10-race
"Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup" on ABC. Additionally, ESPN2 is the home
of the NASCAR Nationwide Series all season. All programming is produced
totally in high definition. ESPN's comprehensive, multimedia NASCAR
coverage extends to ESPN.com, SportsCenter, ESPN the Magazine, ESPN
Classic, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, ESPNRadio and ESPN International, among
other ESPN platforms. ESPN aired 262 NASCAR Cup Races over a 20-year period
starting in 1981 and returned to NASCAR coverage in 2007. The network's
award-winning, live flag-to-flag coverage on ESPN has been honored with 18
Sports Emmy Awards, as well as many industry honors. It is widely credited
for helping to popularize the sport nationwide. NASCAR races have appeared
on ABC for decades, beginning with broadcasts on the award-winning Wide
World of Sports program in the 1960s.
About Sears, Roebuck and Co.
Sears, Roebuck and Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings
Corporation (Nasdaq: SHLD), is a leading broadline retailer providing
merchandise and related services. Sears, Roebuck offers its wide range of
home merchandise, apparel and automotive products and services through more
than 2,400 Sears-branded and affiliated stores in the United States and
Canada, which includes approximately 926 full-line and 1,100 specialty
stores in the U.S. Sears, Roebuck also offers a variety of merchandise and
services through sears.com, landsend.com, and specialty catalogs. Sears,
Roebuck offers consumers leading proprietary brands including Kenmore,
Craftsman, DieHard and Lands' End -- among the most trusted and preferred
brands in the U.S. The company is the nation's largest provider of home
services, with more than 13 million service calls made annually. For more
information, visit the Sears, Roebuck website at http://www.sears.com or
the Sears Holdings Corporation website at http://www.searsholdings.com.
Visit http://www.espnmediazone.com for ESPN's latest releases,
schedules and other news, plus photos, video and audio clips and more.
SOURCE Sears, Roebuck and Co.
Web site: http://www.sears.com http://www.searsholdings.com
http://www.espnmediazone.com/
CONTACT: Media, Larry Costello of Sears Public Relations,
+1-847-286-9036; or Amy Phillips of ESPN, +1-212-456-0226
