Spider-Man couldn’t take over Major League Baseball last season, but another super hero will be stepping into the spotlight on auto racing’s biggest stage.
The caped crusader is set to reign June 19, as the NASCAR Nextel Cup race becomes Batman Begins 400, four days after the film opens worldwide on June 15.
The race will take place at Michigan International Speedway in a deal between Warner Bros. Consumer Products, NASCAR and the International Speedway Corp., and will be broadcast live on FOX.
“The launch of Batman Begins will be fun for the fans at the track and those watching from home,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France in a statement. “Batman will cheer on the 43 [drivers] that will be competing.”
Roush Racing driver Mark Martin will get a little extra Batman power, as his Ford will feature a special Batman Begins paint scheme for the race. Martin’s Roush Racing teammate, Ricky Craven, will also be sporting a Batman Begins scheme during the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event on June 18.
Additional plans for Batman-themed race activities have not been announced.
Batman Begins explores the origins of the Batman legend and the Dark Knight’s emergence as a force for good in Gotham. In the wake of his parents’ murder, disillusioned industrial heir Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) travels the world seeking the means to fight injustice and turn fear against those who prey on the fearful. He returns to Gotham and unveils his alter-ego: Batman, a masked crusader who uses his strength, intellect and an array of high tech deceptions to fight the sinister forces that threaten the city.
It is the first time that a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race has been taken over by a movie launch. However, it is the second time that a movie launch has taken over a NASCAR-sanctioned race.
Last year, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 300 was run as a NASCAR Busch Series event at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte. Jimmie Johnson drove a car with a SpongeBob paint scheme, and Kyle Busch raced a car with a Patrick theme.
The race was run well in advance of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie’s launch date, and included special race ticket offers for families, SpongeBob merchandise giveaways, pre-race activities for kids, a designated family section, and a special kids menu at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway concession stands. There was also a kid-friendly radio broadcast of the event.
Spider-Man was supposed to be in MLB’s lineup the weekend of June 11-13, 2004, but the deal, which was to include Spider-Man bases and other on-field signage, was limited to fan giveaways at games. The weekend was designed to promote the theater release of Spider-Man 2.
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