Rolex Series Schedule Tidbits

[LouisTheShark]

Things that make you go hmmm?

One of the Rolex Series' top teams has major Mexican based sponsorship (Ganassi)

Pontiac just recently announced using Milka Duno in spanish language advertisements

Grand Am added a spanish language section to their website just over a month ago.

NASCAR has been interested to take the Busch Series or Trucks to other countries. But the just announced truck schedule does not include Mexico

ISC on July 2, 2004 registered the name "nascarmexico.com"

An unofficial tentative Busch Series schedule posted on bgnracing.com shows a Mexico date of March 6

----

On another note. It appears the Busch Series may run with Winston Cup in August 2005 at The Glen. I think this means Grand Am will move the second Glen race to another date to run with the rumored IRL date in September?

[cybersdorf]

Eviva Rrrrolex!
It's a smart thing to do, ALMS should have 2 Mexican races.

[Mags]

They should ALL add Mexico. The first CART race drew 350,000 people the first race... can you deny that type of audience?

[Fiorentina 1]

Grease Monkey Racing has a driver from Guatemala. During the race weekends, there are pages (note the s) in the national papers covering each day's events.

[Chevyguy]

The Latino market is huge right now. Christina Agulera, the soap opera "Passions", Erik Estrada's comeback...the list goes on and on where Mexicans are THE target audience. I think it's got something to do with that NAFTA deal. Down here in the South, packaging of common products have as much Spanish as they do English. Not to sound racist, but it's actually pretty annoying.

[Carousel]

Originally posted by Chevyguy
I think it's got something to do with that NAFTA deal. Down here in the South, packaging of common products have as much Spanish as they do English. Not to sound racist, but it's actually pretty annoying.

It has less "to do with that NAFTA deal" than with the fact that a large and growing Mexican middle class has emerged as a huge market force. Until recently (1994), Mexico's economy sputtered along in a paycheck-to-paycheck, third-world kind of way, despite the fact that it is actually a "second-world" nation. In the last 10 years there has been substantial growth in practical wealth that reaches and remains with consumers. In short, it (along with China) is a marketer's dream right now, and that's why race promoters and sponsors are drooling over it.

Regarding "annoying" bilingual packaging, with all due respect, let's get over it. My kid is three and is in a daycare class with 13 other children. All are great little speakers of English, but three speak Spanish at home, two speak French, two speak Japanese, and one speaks Flemish. My son knows a few words of each, and can actually put together a simple sentence in Spanish. In my book, he's got a tremendous advantage that I wish I had had at that age. I'm going to do everything I can to make sure he builds and maintains fluency in at least one language other than English.

[Chevyguy]

The NAFTA comment was completely for humor's sake. You're correct, Spanish is now a job skill. Why? Because now the government will provivde a Spanish speaking teacher, you don't have to speak English in America. But you go over the border and the only English you hear is "especially for you! Five dollars!" I don't like the double standard, and that's what I find annoying. Sorry for that rant, now back to racing.