• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, March 28, 2011

Telemundo believes it has a new way to drive ratings. The broadcaster is sponsoring an entrant in the IndyCar circuit this year, splashing its logo on one of the cars.

Driven by Spain's Oriol Servia, the network's marketing vehicle debuted with a 9th place finish Sunday in an ABC-televised race.

The sponsorship arrangement was crafted by the Telemundo station group, in which executive Andy Barnet said he had noticed a significant number of Hispanic NASCAR fans. "There was no one there from Telemundo or one of our competitors, so that's kind of where I found an opportunity," he noted.

An initial meeting with NASCAR got the engine started, leading to various connections and the eventual deal with the race team, which was founded, in part, by actor Paul Newman. The IndyCar series is far less popular than NASCAR, but Barnet said he's looking to expand Telemundo's presence in racing.

From a sales perspective, there is potential for Telemundo to offer clients co-sponsorship opportunities, which might place their logos on the Servia car and perhaps lead to other extensions.

Many of the IndyCar races are carried by Telemundo corporate sibling Versus. Races are scheduled to take place in key Telemundo markets, but also internationally.