Winner: Coyne Public Relations - Historic Groundbreaking Event Lays Foundation For Daytona International Speedway’s Redevelopment Project
Although it’s billed as “The World Center of Racing,” Daytona International Speedway (DIS), with plenty of original seats from its opening in 1959, currently resembles a high school stadium. Patrons are forced to hike 70 feet to the top row of seats (the best seats in racing) and amenities are nonexistent.
To help drive attendance and appeal to a more diverse fan base, DIS charged Coyne PR with generating visibility for its DAYTONA Rising project—a massive overhaul of its current facility into the world’s first motorsports stadium.
Coyne created a comprehensive plan that culminated in the DAYTONA Rising 500 groundbreaking event. The race featured notable NASCAR drivers competing side by side in massive construction equipment to earn the right and honor to officially break ground on the redevelopment project.
The team secured approximately 1,300 stories, over 1,908 positive public posts across all of social media and more than 62 million media impressions leading up to, during and following the Daytona Rising 500. These included placements in ESPN, "Fox & Friends,” AP, USA Today, The New York Times, Fox Business, CNNMoney, CNBC, TIME Magazine and CNBC.com.
Overall, fan sentiment for the project was a favorable 90.3%. By inviting and having longtime employees of DIS serve as honorary starters and grand marshals, the positive sentiment has spread throughout the entire organization as well.
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