Mark will be racing his Jack Roush-owned Fords in the blue, silver and white colors of Pfizer Inc. in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series next year.
Pfizer announced Friday the company's Viagra brand would
become the primary sponsor of the No. 6 Tauruses. Viagra is
currently the sponsor of Eel River Racing's No. 27 Pontiacs."I am delighted to be driving the Viagra Ford next year and thrilled to have the opportunity to raise awareness of men's health issues through my involvement with Pfizer's Tune Up for Life program," Mark said.
Neither Mark, a 32-time winner on the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, nor Pfizer, a New York-based pharmaceuticals company, would divulge the length or financial terms of the sponsorship deal.
"Pfizer is committed to improving awareness of men's health issues," said David Brinkley, the head of Viagra. "Through the Winston Cup sponsorship and the Tune Up for Life Program that offers free health screenings, we hope to reach out to those men who don't take the time to visit their healthcare provider."
In February, Pfizer launched the Men's Health Tune-Up for Life program. This program was created to help educate men and their partners about common medical conditions. At the NASCAR Winston Cup Series tracks the Men's Health Tune-Up for Life Trailer is set up in the infield. This specially-equipped mobile unit uses questionnaires and medical tests to screen for common medial conditions, such as high cholesterol, diabetes, depression, hypertension and erectile dysfunction. Educational material on common health conditions is also available.
The Men's Health Tune-up for Life Trailer has the capacity to screen more than 35,000 men during the 2000 season and will continue through 2001.
"Everyone knows my interest in leading a healthy lifestyle," Mark said. "We want our fans to get out there and get screened, and we are encouraging them to take advantage of this program. The best part is that Pfizer's involvement will allow for the screenings to be given at no cost to the fans."
A key component of the 2001 Viagra/Mark Mark program will be merchandising. The new merchandise line will debut in time for the Christmas season. Pfizer will donate its share of the proceeds to the Men's Health Network, a Washington, D.C.-based, nonprofit men's health advocacy organization.
"We are so pleased to be a recipient of this generous donation from Pfizer, made possible through the NASCAR program," said Dr. David Gremillion, a board member of the Men's Health Network. "The funding will enable us to conduct men's health screenings at other venues nationally and to develop a web site to reach out to even more men."
Pfizer has been a sponsor of motor sports teams for several years. Barbasol shaving products sponsored a NASCAR Busch Series Grand National Division team from 1996-99. In addition, Pfizer's Visine eye care products are currently the primary sponsors of the No. 17 team featuring drivers Matt Kenseth and Jason Schuler.
Pfizer develops, manufactures and markets pharmaceuticals for humans and animals. The company reported revenues of more than $16.2 billion in 1999 and spent about $2.8 billion on research and development.
