NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Nickelodeon today announced that it is the entitlement sponsor of the
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Saturday, May 9 at Kansas Speedway
dubbed the SpongeBob SquarePants 400. The SpongeBob
SquarePants 400, which will be broadcasted on 7:30 p.m. ET on FOX
Sports 1, will feature a weekend of Bikini Bottom-themed activities and
fun for the entire family.
"The SpongeBob SquarePants 400 gives Nickelodeon the opportunity
to expand its relationship with NASCAR, while working with a
best-in-class track to give fans a unique, engaging and high-quality
race experience that the whole family can enjoy," said Pam Kaufman,
Chief Marketing Officer and President of Consumer Products, Nickelodeon
Group. "Nickelodeon has embarked on some great initiatives with NASCAR
over the last 10 years, sponsoring and participating in marquee racing
events that have resonated with motorsports fans across the country."
"I'm excited to partner with Nickelodeon for the SpongeBob
SquarePants 400 on May 9," said Patrick Warren, Kansas Speedway
President. "This is a great opportunity for us to engage SpongeBob fans
of all ages to racing with a great partner."
Also at the speedway, attendees will be able to enjoy some pre-Mother's
Day fun in the Nickelodeon Kids Zone, which will be located in the
Kansas Speedway Fan Zone. The area will feature appearances from the SpongeBob
SquarePants costumed characters, a SpongeBob SquarePants
photo station and more.
Nickelodeon has a long-standing relationship with NASCAR, teaming up
with the motorsports giant on several programming and racing events. On
the track, the network has sponsored the SpongeBob SquarePants Movie
300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC in 2004; participated
in the Bank of America 500 week in 2012; and brought the Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles to the Atlanta Motor Speedway for the NASCAR
XFINITY Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in 2014. NASCAR has
also contributed talent and content to Nickelodeon programming such as
the Kids' Choice Awards (Danica Patrick, 2012 and 2013), Kids'
Choice Sports Awards (Danica Patrick, 2014), Team Umizoomi
(Jeff Gordon, 2012), Hammer Down (2014) and an upcoming Bubble
Guppies episode (Jimmie Johnson, premiering in 2015).
Since its launch in July 1999, SpongeBob SquarePants has emerged
as a pop culture phenomenon. The series has been the most-watched
animated program with kids 2 - 11 for more than 13 consecutive years,
and over the past several years, it has averaged more than 100,000,000
total viewers every quarter across all Nickelodeon networks. As the most
widely distributed property in Viacom history, SpongeBob is seen in over
185 countries and translated in more than 50 languages. The
character-driven cartoon chronicles the nautical and sometimes
nonsensical adventures of SpongeBob, an incurably optimist and earnest
sea sponge, and his undersea friends.
About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, now in its 35th year, is the number-one entertainment brand
for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first
in everything it does. The company includes television programming and
production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer
products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon's
U.S. television network is seen in more than 100 million households and
has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 20 consecutive
years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com.
Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks
of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20150302006709/en/
Nickelodeon
Thamar Romero, 212-846-7491
Thamar.romero@nick.com
or
Kansas
Speedway
Kelly Hale, 913-328-3311
khale@kansasspeedway.com
or
Victory
Management Group PR
Debby Robinson, 312-505-4336
Drobinson@vmg1.com
Source: Nickelodeon
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