NASCAR and Wide Open Spaces are natural overlaps, and the No. 4 car and its driver, Kevin Harvick, exemplify just that.
Kevin Harvick isn't just a NASCAR driver, but a passionate outdoorsman. His sponsor, Busch Beer, has similarly become a cornerstone in the outdoor industry, targeting the hunting and fishing communities with a variety of marketing campaigns.
You're probably familiar with the Busch camo cans, the trophy cans and even Harvick's trophy can car, which we reported on back in 2016. Well, this year, they ran another golden-ticket-style promotion, sending 500 fans to the Daytona 500.
Fans who found checkered-flag-wrapped cans in their case of Busch were asked to submit videos, in which they shared their excitement for Busch Beer and the race itself. Busch then selected 250 fans, each of whom brought one guest. The 500 collective attendees enjoyed an all-inclusive trip to Florida, seats at the Daytona 500, all the Busch they wanted to drink and the opportunity to meet Harvick.
Harvick not only complied and gave his fans this incredible experience, but he willingly did it the night before the race.
"If you can pull stuff like this off, and the sponsor is going to put this much time and effort into it, it's worth your time," he said.
While a little different than the trophy can campaign, it's hard not to notice the overlap of the outdoors and NASCAR audiences. Harvick is no stranger to that common ground, either.
"There's a lot of camouflage, there's a lot of hunting, a lot of fishing. It's a direct overlay of the fan base in my opinion."
Just a couple months ago, he went on a hunt with Realtree and shot a brute of an elk in Wyoming. He says everyone who accompanied him on the hunt plans to make the trip to the Talladega, Alabama, this year.
"The meat processor was probably the biggest race fan you've ever seen," he said. "He's got 29 hats all over his facility and there's no race track around there."
Busch has future plans of outdoor-themed marketing campaigns, too. It's currently introducing a new partnership with the National Forest Foundation, to which it'll donate a percentage of the profits from each blaze-orange/camo case of beer sold.
"By bringing in this better-world component, we think we're actually able to give back to the outdoors experience that a lot of our consumers love so much," said Busch Beer Brand Manager Daniel Blake.
Luck wasn't in Harvick's favor, though, as he left Sunday's race early after a bad crash.
However, even though Harvick left the Daytona International Speedway empty-handed, that wasn't the case for the 500 fans Busch sent to Florida. Each left with memories that'll last a lifetime, and an experience most fans will never have the chance to enjoy.
NEXT: KEVIN VANDAM POUNDS BUSCH BEER ON THE PODIUM IN ULTIMATE CHAMPION MOVE
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