- Nascar Canada appoints Alan Labrosse as general manager
- Canada’s top motorsport series also unveils 2024 schedule
Nascar’s Canadian series has rebranded and will move to a presenting partner model from 2024.
Known as the Nascar Pinty’s Series since 2016, the shift sees it renamed as the Nascar Canada Series.
Pinty’s will remain as a presenting partner of the series and will be joined by waste management broker Evirum.
It is unclear how this shift affects the five-year entitlement partner extension that Pinty's signed in 2022.
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“Evirum is excited to join Nascar Canada as one of their presenting partners and as its official residual materials management and environmental solutions provider,” said Julien Remillard, president of Evirum.
“When the opportunity to become a series partner presented itself, it was a natural progression in alignment with our expanding presence across Canada and the United States.
“We eagerly anticipate sharing our expertise with Nascar Canada and its stakeholders to bolster their recycling and sustainability efforts.”
Yanick Gervais, president and chief executive of Olymel, parent company of Pinty’s, added: “Once again, we are very proud to associate the name of our Pinty's brand with Nascar Canada as a presenting partner, thus supporting motorsport in Canada, which will now have a new race in Quebec.”
In addition to this rebrand, Nascar has appointed Alan Labrosse as general manager of Nascar Canada. The longtime Canadian motorsport executive is charged with growing and promoting the stock car racing series across the country, including oversight of the Nascar Canada Series.
The series has also unveiled its 2024 schedule, which includes a first ever visit to Quebec and a return to Riverside Speedway, but sees Toronto drop off the calendar.
BlackBook says…
Nascar’s commercial strategy moving forward is clear, with the presenting partner model the new focus for the stock car racing series.
The Cup Series moved to this model from the 2020 season, with Busch, Coca-Cola, Geico and Xfinity signing on for a reported US$15 million per year each, according to Sports Business Journal (SBJ).
The model gives more flexibility for the rights holder and provides a variety of assets for the brands that sign up. This has also been rolled out for Nascar events, with the inaugural Chicago Street Race securing four founding partners worth around US$2 million annually.
One benefit of the founding partner model is that it allows Nascar to build a brand presence and move away from a series being associated with a particular sponsor.
Long-term, this can only be a good thing for a series attempting to regain its foothold in the US and build on its influence worldwide.