Census 2010 News | Census Bureau Takes to the Race Track with Roush Fenway Sponsorship - U.S. Census Bureau

http://www.census.gov/2010census/news/releases/operations/race-track-roush-fenway.html[9/11/2014 8:53:16 AM]

> Students & Teachers > Census.gov

NEWS PRESS KITS EVENTS MULTIMEDIA PRESS CONTACTS

2010 Census Home Press & Media Partners

Release Information

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010

Census Bureau Takes to the Race Track with Roush Fenway

 Sponsorship

Print|Share this page| A A A

The U.S. Census Bureau today officially announced an agreement with Roush

 Fenway Racing to serve as the primary sponsor of the No. 16 Ford Fusion

 driven by Greg Biffle for three NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.

The agreement will see the No. 16 carry a special 2010 Census paint job in

 Sprint Cup races at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, March 7; Bristol

 Motor Speedway on Sunday, March 21; and Martinsville Speedway on

 Sunday, March 28. To increase awareness and encourage participation

 among hard-to-count populations living in rural parts of the country in the

 upcoming 2010 Census, the three-race sponsorship schedule lines up with key census mail-out and mail-back

 dates.

NASCAR has 75 million fans across the country and is the number one spectator sport with an average of

 120,000 spectators at each Sprint Cup Series event. For television viewership, NASCAR ranks second-highest

 out of regular-season sports events.

“NASCAR Sprint Cup racing is one of America's most popular sports and an especially effective avenue

 through which to reach a huge number of fans, reminding them their 2010 Census forms will be arriving in midMarch and to mail them back," said Census Bureau Director Robert Groves. "It is our hope that NASCAR fans

 across the country see the No. 16 car on the track and are encouraged to speak for their community by filling

 out the forms and mailing them back.”

The 2010 Census No. 16 Ford Fusion will feature the familiar Post-it Brand notes of primary sponsor 3M

 carrying both the 2010 Census logo and "mail it back!" on the hood, rear quarter panels and rear bumper.

 Additional elements stemming from the $1.2 million sponsorship to further extend the promotions reach

 include television spots on Fox during the races; a public service announcement with Greg Biffle and 10 show

 car dates across the country.

“NASCAR reaches millions of Americans, and our paid sponsorship of Greg and the No. 16 Roush Fenway

 Ford is a practical one," Groves said. "For every 1 percent increase in mail response, taxpayers will save an

 estimated $85 million. Those funds would otherwise be required to send census takers to collect responses in

 person from households that don't mail back the form.”

Biffle is a nine-year veteran of NASCAR's Cup Series and is one of the sport's top-performers. He is off to a

 great start in 2010 with three top-10 finishes in as many races. Biffle currently sits in sixth place in the 2010

 Sprint Cup Series points. In addition, the Vancouver, Wash., native recently filmed a racing-themed 2010

 Census public service announcement.

For more information on the 2010 Census and the No. 16 team, please visit http://2010.census.gov and

 www.roushfenway.com. Still images of the car are available upon request.

ABOUT THE 2010 CENSUS

 The 2010 Census is a count of everyone living in the United States. By law, everyone in the United States,

 both citizens and noncitizens, must be counted every 10 years. Census data are used to reapportion

 congressional seats to states and directly affect how more than $400 billion per year in federal funding is

 distributed to state, local and tribal governments. The 2010 Census form is one of the shortest census

 questionnaires in history and takes about 10 minutes to complete. By law, the Census Bureau cannot share

 respondents' answers with anyone, including other federal agencies and law enforcement entities.

- X -

As with all 2010 Census information, the address information collected by the Census Bureau is

 confidential by law (Title 13, U.S. Code, Section 9). All Census Bureau employees take an oath of

 nondisclosure and are sworn for life to protect the confidentiality of the data. The penalty for unlawful

 disclosure is a fine of up to $250,000 or imprisonment of up to five years, or both.

CB10-CN.24

Contact:

Public Information Office

301-763-3691

Releases

Census Tests

Census in Schools

Dress Rehearsal

En Español

Jobs

Media Advisories

Operations

Road Tour

Read. Watch. Connect.

Questions and Answers

Director's Blog

Connect with Us

Multimedia Center

Contact Us