NASCAR Cup Series

Microsoft entry into NASCAR includes technology agreements

Published Jun. 22, 2015 9:49 a.m. ET

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Tom Jensen

Historically, NASCAR sponsorships have been great vehicles for selling everything from beer and fast food to motor oil and auto insurance. In years past, the high-tech sector mostly has been a tough nut to crack. But that may be changing.

On Monday morning, Microsoft announced that it has signed new multi-year agreements to be both an Official Technology Partner of NASCAR and a major technology partner of Hendrick Motorsports.

The agreements are significant because they give one of the world's top technology firms a strong and visible presence in NASCAR on several levels.

As part of the deal, Microsoft will be the primary sponsor of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 88 Chevrolet SS at Sonoma Raceway on June 28 and Pocono Raceway on August 2.

Earnhardt will be a  spokesperson to promote Windows 10, which will be available July 29 as a free upgrade for qualified Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 devices.

"I'm a big technology user and really enjoy Microsoft products," said Earnhardt, who is NASCAR's 12-time most popular driver. "Kicking off the Hendrick Motorsports relationship with Windows 10 is a unique opportunity, and there's no doubt our ongoing technical partnership will help us raise the bar in many areas. It's great to see Microsoft is having such a positive experience with NASCAR and wants to do more across the sport. We're excited to be a part of that."

In addition, "NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports will adopt the Windows 10 platform and Microsoft Azure to deliver technology solutions to help improve performance on and off the track," NASCAR officials said in a statement issued Monday. Also, Windows 10 will be the Official Operating System of Hendrick Motorsports.

"NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports are perpetual innovators in motorsports," said Steve Guggenheimer, Corporate Vice President, Developer Experience and Evangelism at Microsoft. "This sport demands constant innovation, to have its boundaries pushed, so that the sport delivers the exciting experiences expected by fans. The Windows mobile inspection application we launched last year is a great example of how innovative solutions can push boundaries and make the racing experience even better. We're looking forward to the next solutions that we can deploy with both NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports to push each of our organizations forward."  

"Partnering with a global leader like Microsoft heightens our commitment to drive innovation and adopt state-of-the-art technologies across our sport," said Steve Phelps, NASCAR chief marketing officer. "Microsoft has a proven track record as a technology solution provider and the development of the Windows mobile inspection app has reinvented our inspection process. As we look to the future, we're excited at the prospect of developing new applications and leveraging Windows 10 and Microsoft Azure services that will make our sport more competitive, exciting, and accessible to fans." 

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