Remington enters winner's circle with NASCAR

Shooting Industry, July, 2004 by Russ Thurman

Remington created a great deal of excitement when it debuted its Remington Green NASCAR at the SHOT Show in 1996. It was a bold move.

"Getting into the racing game is a great way to promote not only Remington, but also the entire industry to a lot of new people," said Bill Wohl, then Remington's press relations manager.

The venture into NASCAR, however, drew a lot criticism from some in the industry who saw it as a waste of money. And the Remington car's performance on the tough NASCAR circuit was less than sterling.

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"The NASCAR program was challenging for us in our early involvement," said Tommy Millner, Remington's president and CEO. "We occasionally finished in the top 10, but most of the time would finish 25th or worse. That was tough."

But the venture did reap benefits.

"It exposed the Remington brand to millions of potential consumers who weren't reached by traditional industry media, either print, TV or radio. The demographic of the NASCAR fans fits our customer base perfectly. Today, being affiliated with Dale Earnhardt Jr., the absolute hottest commodity in Nextel Cup racing, is exciting. It has been nothing short of a grand-slam homerun."

And the bottom line?

"We have Dale Earnhardt Jr. guns. We've branded him on gun safes, on accessories products and ammunition. And every time we do that, the product sells," Millner said.

In addition, Earnhardt Jr. is now a hunter thanks to Remington.

"We showed him that going to the woods with your friends is a really wonderful experience," Millner said. "Maybe you kill a turkey and maybe you don't, but it's really about enjoying the outdoors."

Remington's NASCAR sponsorship is drawing even more exposure this year, with Earnhardt Jr. leading in the Nextel Cup points race. His first win of the year came at the Daytona 500 in February. Millner was there.

"I was standing in victory lane and it was one of the neatest things I've ever done in my entire life. It was unforgettable," Millner said.

Much is said today about attracting new people--customers--into the industry. Salutes to Remington for doing just that through its NASCAR sponsorship, which does, "promote not only Remington, but also the entire industry to a lot of new people."