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In yet another sign of NASCAR going mainstream, one of its top drivers is about to get involved in the type of business deal that long ago became a staple of traditional stick-and-ball sports: the shoe endorsement.
Driver Kevin Harvick, who won the 2001 rookie of the year and last year's Brickyard 400, is endorsing a new line of sneakers from Lugz, a boot and shoe company looking to expand beyond its mostly "urban-based" clientele. The new shoes go on sale in July.
Harvick says a shoe endorsement deal is "definitely something that I never thought I would have, for sure. You look at a Michael Jordan or a Shaquille O'Neal or a Kobe Bryant or somebody like that and, you're right, it is something of a status symbol."
As NASCAR's marketing reach has expanded beyond its Southeastern roots in recent years, drivers and teams have expanded beyond traditional motor oil, fast food and beer sponsorships. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has an endorsement deal with Drakkar cologne, and Rusty Wallace endorses Callaway golf clubs.
"It's definitely a non-traditional sponsorship," Harvick, currently 11th in the Nextel Cup points race, says of his shoe deal. "It's not anything that anybody ever thought would be on a car, and it's a totally different market than anything around here is used to going for."
The shoes won't actually be named after Harvick — they're called "Rally" — but the company is calling them "Harvick-inspired." The Lugz logo appears on Harvick's No. 29 race car, and Harvick also will appear in the company's TV commercials and in-store displays. Harvick says Lugz might eventually make fire-resistant driving shoes for competition.
The sneaker Harvick will be endorsing is meant for casual wear and not for playing sports. But that's appropriate for Harvick who, while being in good shape, acknowledges that he isn't much of a workout fiend.
"My workout is (being) in the car too much," he says.
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Looks like I'll be buying a new pair of shoes come July!
Way to go, Kevin!!
Driver Kevin Harvick, who won the 2001 rookie of the year and last year's Brickyard 400, is endorsing a new line of sneakers from Lugz, a boot and shoe company looking to expand beyond its mostly "urban-based" clientele. The new shoes go on sale in July.
Harvick says a shoe endorsement deal is "definitely something that I never thought I would have, for sure. You look at a Michael Jordan or a Shaquille O'Neal or a Kobe Bryant or somebody like that and, you're right, it is something of a status symbol."
As NASCAR's marketing reach has expanded beyond its Southeastern roots in recent years, drivers and teams have expanded beyond traditional motor oil, fast food and beer sponsorships. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has an endorsement deal with Drakkar cologne, and Rusty Wallace endorses Callaway golf clubs.
"It's definitely a non-traditional sponsorship," Harvick, currently 11th in the Nextel Cup points race, says of his shoe deal. "It's not anything that anybody ever thought would be on a car, and it's a totally different market than anything around here is used to going for."
The shoes won't actually be named after Harvick — they're called "Rally" — but the company is calling them "Harvick-inspired." The Lugz logo appears on Harvick's No. 29 race car, and Harvick also will appear in the company's TV commercials and in-store displays. Harvick says Lugz might eventually make fire-resistant driving shoes for competition.
The sneaker Harvick will be endorsing is meant for casual wear and not for playing sports. But that's appropriate for Harvick who, while being in good shape, acknowledges that he isn't much of a workout fiend.
"My workout is (being) in the car too much," he says.
Web Link
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Looks like I'll be buying a new pair of shoes come July!
Way to go, Kevin!!
