IRL announces DIRECTV sponsorship

New Logo with DIRECTV notation

DIRECTV, the nation's leading satellite television provider, adds another notch in its HD belt as the Premiere Official Sponsor of the IndyCar Series. Beginning with the April 6 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, all IndyCar Series events will be carried in DIRECTV HD, delivering unprecedented detail and realism to a sport already defined by speed, history and pulse-quickening close finishes.

As the Premiere Official Sponsor for the IndyCar Series, DIRECTV will be recognized in the series logo to reinforce that each respective race event is carried "in DIRECTV HD". DIRECTV will also receive extensive branding placements throughout each IndyCar Series race, including in-car camera mounts, placement on all driver uniforms and cars, and branding throughout pit road. The Fan Zone at each track will also feature DIRECTV co-branded interactive kiosks where race fans can learn about the racing history, components of each car, and get updated stats on each driver and race.

Furthermore, the multi-year sponsorship gives DIRECTV a large presence on the IndyCar website (www.indycar.com) including, branding on the IndyCar Race Control feature, the daily poll, and IndyCar Fantasy Racing.

"The addition of DIRECTV and their superb HD programming is great news for the IndyCar Series and our intensely loyal fans," said Terry Angstadt, president of the Indy Racing League's commercial division. "DIRECTV is an excellent and very significant addition to our sport as they share many of our brand attributes including speed, technology and innovation. They are precisely the caliber of corporation being attracted to our series in increasingly growing numbers."

The 2008 season marks the first full-season of the IndyCar Series being presented in HD. Further, IndyCar Series broadcasts will feature onboard cameras able to pan 360 degrees utilizing HD technology, a motorsports first.

"No one can come close to DIRECTV in terms of the depth of sports and HD programming we offer our customers, and the IndyCar Series is a fantastic addition to our portfolio" said Jon Gieselman, DIRECTV's senior vice president of advertising and PR. "We are honored to be part of the rebirth of this sport and helping to bring a now unified IndyCar series to fans everywhere."

The 2008 season marks the 13th year that the IndyCar Series will be telecast on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2.

In addition to its league sponsorship, DIRECTV has also become an IndyCar Series team sponsor. Vision Racing will prominently fly the DIRECTV logo throughout the 2008 season.

Indiana-based Just Marketing International, which provides activation support for DIRECTV in other sports, in addition to brokering the IndyCar sponsorship, will oversee its activation.