Is 50 Cent the next brand ambassador for NASCAR?
http://t.foxsports.msn.com/is-50-cent-the-next-brand-ambassador-for-nascar
The well-known rapper attended his second consecutive Daytona 500 this past weekend, but could his involvement in NASCAR broaden the sport's fan base? It might not be as far-fetched as you think.
When hip-hop artist, actor, philanthropist and entrepreneur 50 Cent visited Daytona International Speedway for the 2014 Daytona 500, he was mostly questioned about last year's awkward encounter with reporter Erin Andrews during the Daytona 500 pre-race show on FOX.
Yet, the rapper's second consecutive year of attending The Great American Race entailed more than reflections on his 2013 experience.
Last year, 50 Cent -- whose real name is Curtis Jackson -- was at Daytona as a guest, taking in the sights and sounds of NASCAR's biggest race. He sat on Mark Martin's pit box, nearly kissed Andrews on the live FOX broadcast, and then went back to his world of hip-hop, SMS Audio and being an overall badass.
But here's the thing: 50 Cent did what other celebrities from outside the NASCAR world often don't do: He came back. And he also got more involved.
Jackson's company, SMS Audio, signed an exclusive partnership with Swan Racing, and drivers Cole Whitt and Parker Kligerman, to serve as an associate sponsor for the next two seasons.
In the world of NASCAR, that's a huge commitment, and it shows 50 Cent is here for more than just a free trip to the Daytona 500.
"When we have a sport big enough to for someone like 50 (Cent) to take knowledge of what we have here and what we have to showcase, it says a lot about our sport," Whitt said. "At the end of the day, I'm here for my sport and what's best for it. Attracting these kinds of sponsors -- SMS Audio, Speed Stick Gear on our car -- that's the kind of stuff that can make this industry go to the next level."
"I've already won (by) being here. Do you see anyone from my genre of music?" the rapper asked rhetorically during his latest Daytona visit. "It creates a separation and allows me to have the 70 million loyal fans that watch NASCAR to take notice of SMS Audio and 50 Cent and recognize my vision.
"It's a great cross for me," he added. "I feel like I'm in the right place."
http://t.foxsports.msn.com/is-50-cent-the-next-brand-ambassador-for-nascar
The well-known rapper attended his second consecutive Daytona 500 this past weekend, but could his involvement in NASCAR broaden the sport's fan base? It might not be as far-fetched as you think.
When hip-hop artist, actor, philanthropist and entrepreneur 50 Cent visited Daytona International Speedway for the 2014 Daytona 500, he was mostly questioned about last year's awkward encounter with reporter Erin Andrews during the Daytona 500 pre-race show on FOX.
Yet, the rapper's second consecutive year of attending The Great American Race entailed more than reflections on his 2013 experience.
Last year, 50 Cent -- whose real name is Curtis Jackson -- was at Daytona as a guest, taking in the sights and sounds of NASCAR's biggest race. He sat on Mark Martin's pit box, nearly kissed Andrews on the live FOX broadcast, and then went back to his world of hip-hop, SMS Audio and being an overall badass.
But here's the thing: 50 Cent did what other celebrities from outside the NASCAR world often don't do: He came back. And he also got more involved.
Jackson's company, SMS Audio, signed an exclusive partnership with Swan Racing, and drivers Cole Whitt and Parker Kligerman, to serve as an associate sponsor for the next two seasons.
In the world of NASCAR, that's a huge commitment, and it shows 50 Cent is here for more than just a free trip to the Daytona 500.
"When we have a sport big enough to for someone like 50 (Cent) to take knowledge of what we have here and what we have to showcase, it says a lot about our sport," Whitt said. "At the end of the day, I'm here for my sport and what's best for it. Attracting these kinds of sponsors -- SMS Audio, Speed Stick Gear on our car -- that's the kind of stuff that can make this industry go to the next level."
"I've already won (by) being here. Do you see anyone from my genre of music?" the rapper asked rhetorically during his latest Daytona visit. "It creates a separation and allows me to have the 70 million loyal fans that watch NASCAR to take notice of SMS Audio and 50 Cent and recognize my vision.
"It's a great cross for me," he added. "I feel like I'm in the right place."
