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Governor Cuomo Unveils NASCAR/Watkins Glen International License Plate: On Monday (Aug 1), Governor Andrew M. Cuomo unveiled a new Watkins Glen International license plate, available for order beginning Thursday, August 4. The plate is the newest addition to DMV's NASCAR custom plate series and features the WGI and NASCAR logos with a checkered flag background. The announcement coincides with the 2016 Cheez-It 355 at the Glen - New York State's only NASCAR race - and one of the highlights of Upstate tourism every summer. The Glen supports Governor Cuomo's commitment to tourism, which recently reached a new record-high economic impact in New York State of $102 billion - an increase of 25 percent since 2010. "The new Watkins Glen license plate celebrates New York's strong partnership with this award-winning NASCAR racetrack," Governor Cuomo said. "New York is proud to host this world-class event at the Glen, which attracts motorsport enthusiasts and drives tourism in the Southern Tier. I encourage racing fans to stop by the DMV exhibit on the Midway during this weekend's events and take advantage of the services they have to offer." Personnel from DMV will also be on hand to personally sell the newly-issued plate to NASCAR fans for the first time. DMV staff will help visitors order additional custom plates, renew their registrations, assist with address changes, schedule road and vision tests, and complete web transactions.
DMV Executive Deputy Commissioner Terri Egan said, "DMV is excited to once again partner with Watkins Glen and make this plate available to racing fans all over the state who make the venue a destination each year. The Glen is a perfect venue for DMV staff to interact with its customers and promote tourism at the same time. I thank Governor Cuomo for providing DMV with this opportunity to connect with customers statewide, and I encourage New Yorkers to order this plate to show their support for the Glen."
Watkins Glen International President Michael Printup said, "We are thrilled to unveil this Watkins Glen International license plate. The timing couldn't be better with New York State's largest sporting event, The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Cheez-It 355, less than a week away. We'd like to thank Governor Andrew Cuomo and his office for their unyielding support of Watkins Glen International and tourism in our region and state as a whole."(NY Governor's Press Office)(8-3-2016)

NASCAR Zeroes In On Potential Title Sponsors For Cup Series: NASCAR said that it is talking to "roughly a dozen candidates" to replace Sprint as its Cup Series title sponsor, but the governing body has "zeroed in on around three leading candidates and has swapped term sheets with at least one of them," according to sources cited by Adam Stern in this week's SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. Sources said that companies "still in the hunt" include grocery chain Kroger, Yum! Brands, Coca-Cola, South Korea-based Samsung and China-based electronics brand Hisense. There has "been concern in some corners of the industry about how the search is not yet complete, but NASCAR's top sales executive sounded confident a deal will get done." NASCAR Chief Sales Officer Jim O'Connell said, "We're in a really good place; we're exactly where we thought we'd be time-wise." Sources said that NASCAR is "likely to end up with at least a four-year deal" in the $25-35M range in annual rights fees. Sprint's original 10-year deal with NASCAR reportedly was worth $75M in "annual rights and activation fees combined"(Sports Business Daily), see past news on the sponsor search on the NASCAR Sponsorship News page.(8-3-2016)