Apr 2, 2008 6:04 AM, PROMO Xtra, By Richard Tedesco

Adding another gear to its motorsports marketing engine, Coca-Cola has become an IndyCar Series sponsor through 2010.

The deal builds on prior relationships the soft drink giant already had in place. It signed a 10-year sponsorship deal late last year with the International Speedway Corp., which operates five tracks on the IndyCar Series circuit. Coke also has a decades-long relationship with the Indianapolis 500 and the track where that classic race is staged.

The IndyCar sponsorship also deepens Coke’s overall involvement in motorsports. It rolled out a long-term sponsorship deal with NASCAR with the beginning of the current stock car season.

“We’ve been involved in the Indianapolis 500 and the Indianapolis Speedway. This just involves us with the entire series, not just the one race,” Coca-Cola spokeswoman Susan Stribling said.

She declined to attach a value to the sponsorship deal.

Signage at the IndyCar tracks will be part of the deal, as well as availability of Coke product, which was part of the pre-existing ISC deal. Further aspects of activation plans are still to be determined.

“It’s a brand new partnership, so we’re still working through the details,” Stribling said.

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