• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, March 12, 2012

A month after running a Super Bowl spot to rev up “Swamp People,” the History Channel said it will look to fuel a second hit show through another high-profile sports sponsorship. NASCAR’s “History 300” race in May will serve as a platform for “Pawn Stars.”

That the race won’t be called the “Pawn Stars 300” may be surprising, considering the network had the top-line sponsorship of the same Nationwide Series race last year and named it the “Top Gear 300” after the eponymous series.

Still, the "Pawn Stars" cast will serve as race grand marshals in Charlotte, N.C., and History and Coke have joined in a promotion in which a pair of fans will watch the race with the “stars.”

The show, which has spawned two spinoffs, features three generations of a family running a Las Vegas pawn shop. Coke is the name sponsor of the Coca-Cola 600 after the History-sponsored race on Memorial Day weekend.

The “Watch the Race” with the “Pawn Stars” initiative involving Coke will be backed at 300 Wilco/Hess stations in the Southeast. The sweepstakes entry point will be housed at history300.com.

Separately, Coke and History are running a promotion with Rick Dale for History’s “American Restoration." The winner gets tickets to both the Coca-Cola 600 and History 300 and a restored Coke machine. The contest will be promoted on Coke products in the Southeast and via on-air promos on History.