Ninja Turtles Returning To Chicagoland For NASCAR Race Sponsorship

Nickelodeon is returning to Chicagoland Speedway as the entitlement sponsor of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race in Sepember as part of another two-year deal with ISC. The Viacom-owned net is bringing back its Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the theme for the second straight year, and the race will be called the Tales of the Turtles 400. Nickelodeon Senior VP/Sports Marketing & Development Anthony DiCosmo said that the net considered switching to other franchises, but decided to keep with TMNT because the TV show is bringing back many old characters in its fifth season. Nickelodeon two years ago promoted SpongeBob Squarepants at the spring Kansas race.

DiCosmo said of TMNT, “It just fits in NASCAR: It’s about excitement, energy, a brotherhood, multigenerational -- just the right fit.” Around 10 drivers over the weekend are expected to run TMNT-themed paint schemes. Track President Scott Paddock added, “It’s great to have continuity with a title sponsor. ... When you’ve got brands like Monster Energy and Nickelodeon investing in the sport and bringing in a younger audience, that’s a great thing.”

DiCosmo added that Nickelodeon, which has a co-branded product line with NASCAR and a show on its Nick Sports platform, has begun renewal talks with ISC. Nickelodeon works with Victory Management Group for NASCAR marketing.