• by Karl Greenberg , July 1, 2015

Chevrolet has signed a multi-year deal as Founding Partner at Daytona International Speedway (DIS). The deal helps fund the huge Daytona Rising mega-renovation of the speedway, which started in early 2013. Terms were not revealed. The whole project, slated to be done next year, is costing about $400 million, according to the International Speedway Corporation (ISC). 

It’s hard to overstate the size of the renovation, for which engineers had to factor in the curve of the Earth. Seventeen cranes have so far loaded in 7,000 tons of steel. The facility is now about a mile long, per the organization, which says the infield can fit 15 major Florida sports stadiums. The speedway launched a campaign last year to tout the new look. 

Starting next year, Chevrolet — joining Toyota and Florida Hospital as founding partners — gets naming rights for one of five giant entrance gates, meaning there will ultimately be two more founding partners to take up the remaining fan “injector” entrances. Chevrolet will also have 20,000 square feet of new vehicle displays, and a fan engagement experience that comprises four concourse levels. 

Said ISC CEO Lesa France Kennedy, in a statement, “As part of its activation at Daytona Rising and other ISC facilities, Chevrolet will represent its iconic automotive brand through interactive experiences with fans.”

Chevrolet will also have branding rights for one of the football-sized areas near its entrance. These “neighborhoods,” as they are called, are ranged along the track's north-side front stretch, and have retail and dining areas and a series of big screens.

The deal also gives Chevrolet official partner status at the Daytona 500 in February, meaning, which the automaker gets official pace car rights.

Additionally Chevrolet says it has extended pace car rights at several other ISC tracks, including Darlington, Phoenix International Raceway, and Watkins Glen. Said Joie Chitwood III, DIS president, in a statement, “Their activation will elevate the race day experience at the new motorsports stadium and continue to make them an integral part of the Speedway experience.”