According to data from Nielsen’s People Meter sample fused with the respondents of MRI’s Survey of the American Consumer, NASCAR race viewers in Q1′09 were more likely than the average consumer to drive American:

• Drivers of Chevrolet, sponsor of Tony Stewart and Hendrick Motorsports, had 70% higher ratings compared to the composite.
• Drivers of Ford, who sponsors one of NASCAR’s brightest stars in Carl Edwards, had 64% higher ratings.
• Drivers of Dodge, which is now partially owned by a Fiat, is still considered by many an American car, and had 59% higher ratings.

It should be no surprise that NASCAR’s racing teams work closely with the automakers not just under the hood, but also on ways to increase sponsorship visibility - including car signage, uniform apparel, and training the drivers to weave in audio mentions to their interviews – all in hopes of moving the needle when their fans head out to their local car dealership.

As the Big Three American automakers attempt to change public perception and get their cars back on the right track, NASCAR may be the best sponsorship vehicle.

Winners will be announced by Lois Miller, President of  Nielsen IAG Automotive, at the New York Auto Show on Wednesday, April 8.

“The automotive industry faced a very challenging year in 2008,” said Miller. “These awards celebrate the creative advertising process and they recognize how the talents of great ad agencies, savvy media planners, and automakers with a vision can work together to effectively reach their audience.”

Nominees for the ad categories are as follows:

GREEN AD OF THE YEAR

• Lexus – “Missing H” – Agency: Team One, Media: Team One
• Chevrolet - “Disappear 2.0 Volt Reveal” – Agency: Campbell-Ewald, Media: Starcom Mediavest
• Cadillac Escalade Hybrid – Checkmate – Agency: Modernista! Media: Starcom Mediavest

SALES EVENT CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR

• Toyota – “Toyotathon of Toyotathons” – Agency: Saatchi and Saatchi, Media: Saatchi and Saatchi
• Volkswagen – “Autobahn for All” – Agency: Crispin Porter and Bogusky, Media: Mediacom
• Lexus - “December to Remember” – Agency: Team One, Media: Team One

AUTOMOTIVE AD OF THE YEAR

• Chevrolet – “My Truck Anthem” – Agency: Campbell-Ewald, Media: Starcom Mediavest
• Volkswagen – “Nimoy” — Agency: Crispin Porter and Bogusky, Media: Mediacom
• Ford – “Focus Briana” — Agency: J Walter Thompson, Media: Mindshare

For more information on this year’s awards or for media credentialing, please contact Ian Beavis at (714) 813-6300 or ian.beavis@nielsen.com.

Greenville, SC and Greensboro, NC maintained their spots as the top DMAs for this year’s race, scoring 21.2 and 19.9 ratings, respectively. Dayton, OH surged to the #3 spot with an 18.0 rating.

 2009 DAYTONA 500: TOP-10 LOCAL DMA RATINGS

At its peak (5:48pm ET), the race scored a 10.5 HH rating, with 18.1 million viewers tuning in. According to Repucom International, which provides exclusive integration of Nielsen data in measuring brand exposure in sports telecasts, those 18.1 million viewers were exposed to the following brands within the next 30 seconds: AAA, Red Bull, Red Bull Cola, Toyota, Sprint, Sunoco, 3M, Fedex, Goodyear, Taco Bell, EA Sports, Dodge, and Chevrolet.

As a sport tied so directly to sponsorships and the struggling auto industry, NASCAR offered a steady dose of positive exposure for American car companies. According to Repucom, Chevrolet and Ford had the most brand exposures during FOX’s telecast, combining for 419 exposures and a total of almost 30 minutes. AT&T had the third-most exposure time at almost 14 minutes. More extraordinary, those 14 minutes were an accumulation of just 36 exposures – meaning AT&T enjoyed an impressive average of 23 seconds per exposure.

2009 DAYTONA 500: TOP-10 BRAND EXPOSURES

The automotive industry has witnessed an extremely volatile and game-changing 2008. With Ford, BMW, Honda, Toyota and Volkswagen leading the way, here is a look at the top 25 automotive brands that consumers discussed online in 2008 relative to all online discussion.