CHARLOTTE NC. - Walmart announced Thursday that they will expand their merchandise program in 2012, the 50th anniversary of the retail giant.
While the merchandise partnership isn’t new, Walmart will take to the track for the first time with a Chevy built by Turner Motorsports and driven by Bill Elliott.
However the effort, as of now, is for only one race; the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona in July. The company wanted to get on the track this year with the No. 50 car and Elliott to help celebrate the 50th birthday of the company in July and just wants to ‘have a lot of fun with it’, said Rand Waddoups, senior director Entertainment Properties and Brands for Walmart.
The company has no shop has hired no personnel and has no plans beyond the single race. ‘But we have six months yet’, Waddoups added.
While the value to fans through some of the merchandise programs is a very good thing, the sponsorship of a single car, for one race, without even a full team or future is something that has to be questioned. At a time when so many NASCAR teams are struggling to find sponsorship, to have Walmart write a sponsorship check for only themselves seems a little too much self-serving.
To use NASCAR as its playground, to celebrate its anniversary without having any future plans to compete beyond one race is a huge mistake. While using NASCAR to advertise is great, to use it as a one off entry into a single race isn’t exactly the smartest thing to do.
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