CHARLOTTE, NC - 1 January, 2005 -

Raycom Sports today announced it has secured Charlotte-based Meineke Car Care Centers to be the new title sponsor of the three-year old college bowl game played in Charlotte. The Meineke Car Care Bowl will again take place this December at Bank of America Stadium. Meineke, a leading supplier of automotive services, replaces Continental Tire North America as the title sponsor for the game. The three-year contract ensures the future of one of the most successful bowl games in NCAA history. The game is certified to and operated by Raycom Sports. Per Raycom policy, financial terms were not disclosed. "Meineke and its chain of nearly 900 shops are delighted to sponsor the Meineke Car Care Bowl," said Ken Walker, Meineke President and CEO. “The bowl will serve as a major step in broadening consumer awareness of our brand and extended product offering. We are looking forward to national promotions, consumer sweepstakes and related events that this sponsorship provides. Our dealers will be energized by this relationship." “We are extremely excited that we have secured Meineke as the new title sponsor for the game,” said Ken Haines, President and CEO of Raycom Sports. “The foundation of this bowl game was built on three key ingredients. First, we need a committed local sponsor with strong local and national ties. Second, we are within driving proximity to a number of schools in the ACC and Big East. And lastly, in Bank of America Stadium, we have a state-of-the-art facility. Together, Raycom Sports and Meineke will continue the tradition of excellence that this game has come to stand for in a short period of time.” “Meineke is a strong, locally-based company with a national footprint and customer base and has been supportive of the game from the beginning,” said Will Webb, Executive Director for the Meineke Car Care Bowl. “We look forward to the continued growth of the game, and the events associated with the game. The Meineke Car Care Bowl was named one of the five-best start-ups in sports over the past five years by the Sports Business Journal, behind only the NFL Houston Texans and ESPN the Magazine. The game has sold out two of its first three years and averaged more than 65,000 fans each year. This past December, the game featured Boston College defeating North Carolina, 37-24. Meineke Car Care Center has been one of the most recognized and trusted brands in America since its establishment 32 years ago. Founded by Sam Meineke, the business began with only one store and a single product. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., it has expanded product offerings and has grown to approximately 900 stores in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela and the Caribbean. Raycom Sports is a sports marketing, event management and production firm. In a unique partnership with Jefferson-Pilot Sports, Raycom is the rightsholder of ACC men’s basketball and syndicated football telecasts. In addition, the company owns and operates events around the country including LPGA tournaments in Mobile and Sacramento. Raycom Sports has a track record of selling entitlement sponsorships to a number of national sporting events, including the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and The Mitchell Company Tournament of Champions. Raycom Sports’ parent company Raycom Media, located in Montgomery, AL, owns and operates 36 television stations covering over ten percent of the United States.

This article has been read 1382 times .