Apr 29, 2008 6:04 AM, PROMO Xtra, By Richard Tedesco

Office Depot is giving small business owners a way to improve the odds of getting their company name on a NASCAR stock car by conducting viral campaigns to build support.

The sweepstakes, to be dubbed “Official Small Business of NASCAR Courtesy of Office Depot,” runs through June 22, with companies entering at http://www.officedepotracing.com. The payoff is having their business name plastered on the TV panel of the No. 99 Ford driven by Carl Edwards at the Kansas Speedway on Sept. 28, and the remainder of the season, along with primary sponsor Office Depot.

This year’s fourth annual contest includes a viral “Connect with Carl” element, enabling entrants to send a customizable audio e-mail message featuring Edwards. The idea is to encourage recipients to file an additional nomination for that business on the Office Depot site, effectively improving their odds of winning.

“We think people will spend a lot more time on the site and pass it along. It’s a fun element,” said Office Depot spokeswoman Mindy Kramer. “This is giving businesses a chance to spread the word that they’re in the hunt.”

Each business entering the contest will have a password and its own Web site to track nominations and transmit e-mails. They can also submit an additional entry each day via that page.

The contest prize package also includes a $10,000 small business makeover, a VIP race experience at Kansas Speedway, a logo and Web site design by Logoworks, a two-year membership to Lifelock Identity Theft protection service for 10 employees and private primer on the NASCAR business by a group of NASCAR executives.

Some 50,000 businesses participated in the promo last year. Wunderman and Office Depot jointly developed the "Connect with Carl" concept.

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