Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Hendrick Motorsports Unveil “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” Partnership
Two of the world’s greatest Super Heroes, Batman and Superman, join
forces with racing superstars Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson as
heroes face off during the March 20 NASCAR race in California
CONCORD, N.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP) and 11-time NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series champions Hendrick Motorsports today unveiled the latest pairing
in their ongoing partnership, featuring two special paint schemes for
drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson, to promote the upcoming
and highly anticipated Warner Bros. Pictures film “Batman v Superman:
Dawn of Justice.” Batman will be represented on Earnhardt’s
No. 88 Nationwide Batman Chevrolet SS and Superman will be featured on
Johnson’s No. 48 Lowe’s Superman Chevrolet SS when the teammates square
off during the March 20 race in Fontana, California.
The “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” paint schemes were
co-developed by Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Hendrick Motorsports.
Earnhardt’s paint scheme will showcase the Batman emblem and textures of
the Caped Crusader’s suit, while Johnson’s car will feature the iconic
S-shield and Superman suit textures. Additionally, Earnhardt and Johnson
will wear custom-designed fire suits during the race weekend that
feature the respective Super Hero logos.
“Hendrick Motorsports is the ultimate team in racing, with
championship-caliber drivers and a proven track record of success, and
we are thrilled to continue working with them to build out innovative
activations that pair their drivers with the world’s most recognized
Super Heroes,” said Dave Hedrick, Senior Vice President, Global
Promotions, Branded Foods, Studio Licensing, Warner Bros. Consumer
Products. “Fans of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson will love
seeing their heroes face off as they take on the personas of DC Comics’
legendary characters from ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.’”
Hendrick Motorsports, along with their partners Nationwide and Lowe’s,
have also teamed with WBCP to create “Batman v Superman: Dawn of
Justice” at-track activations for fans of all ages during the California
race weekend. In addition to giveaways and themed activities, select
costumes from the film will be on display. Licensed merchandise
featuring the “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” paint schemes for the
Nos. 48 and 88 cars will be available at participating retailers and
online beginning January 22.
“Nationwide is excited to join forces with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and
Batman, two iconic figures in their respective worlds, to create this
incredible duo,” said Mike Boyd, Nationwide’s senior vice president of
marketing. “We’re looking forward to seeing our No. 88 Nationwide Batman
paint scheme on the track and are sure it will be big fun for millions
of race and Batman fans alike.”
As part of their involvement with the film, Nationwide is offering one
lucky fan a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend the premiere of the
film. The prize package includes airfare, lodging, two tickets to
Sunday’s race, a meet-and-greet opportunity with Earnhardt, two tickets
to the red carpet premiere and more. Fans can visit http://www.nationwidebatman88.com
to enter the contest.
“Jimmie has long been a Super Hero to the 265,000 Lowe’s employees
nationwide,” said Lawrence Lobpries, Lowe’s vice president of consumer
marketing. “In addition to putting a bold, unique paint scheme featuring
Superman, one of the world’s greatest Super Heroes, in front of our
passionate Team 48 fans, this partnership allows us to engage a new
audience by bringing the thrill and action of the movie and NASCAR to
our stores across the country.”
On March 24, the eve of the “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”
release, Lowe’s stores nationwide will host a free Superman-themed Build
and Grow clinic, where families can build a wooden replica of Johnson’s
Superman race car. Parents can register their children at www.lowes.com/buildandgrow
beginning in March.
Announced in 2014, WBCP and Hendrick Motorsports are engaged in an
ongoing strategic partnership to build on- and off-track programs
teaming star drivers Kasey Kahne, Chase Elliott, Johnson and Earnhardt
with the most recognized characters in DC Comics Super Hero lore. Team
partners have exclusive opportunities to align with Warner Bros.
Consumer Products and DC Comics-inspired releases. Collaborations have
since taken place around Sprint Cup events at Charlotte Motor Speedway
and Michigan International Speedway.
“Delivering more value to our relationships is something we think about
every single day,” said Patrick Perkins, Hendrick Motorsports’ vice
president of marketing. “The ability to bring together tremendous
partners like Lowe’s and Nationwide and align them with arguably the
year’s biggest action adventure film is an extraordinary opportunity. It
creates ways to excite and entertain our current fans, reach new
audiences and build special programs around everything from licensed
merchandise to sweepstakes. When we began working with DC Entertainment,
this is exactly the type of program we all envisioned, and we’re proud
to be involved.”
ABOUT “BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE”
Warner Bros. Pictures presents, an Atlas Entertainment/Cruel and Unusual
production, a Zack Snyder film, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,
starring Oscar winner Ben Affleck (“Argo”) as Batman/Bruce Wayne and
Henry Cavill as Superman/Clark Kent in the characters’ first big-screen
pairing. Directed by Snyder, the film also stars Oscar nominees Amy
Adams (“American Hustle”), Jesse Eisenberg (“The Social Network”), Diane
Lane (“Unfaithful”) and Laurence Fishburne (“What’s Love Got to Do with
It”); Oscar winners Jeremy Irons (“Reversal of Fortune”) and Holly
Hunter (“The Piano”); and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince. Snyder
directed from a screenplay written by Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer,
based on characters from DC Comics, including Batman, created by Bob
Kane with Bill Finger, and Superman, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe
Shuster. The film is produced by Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder, with
Wesley Coller, Geoff Johns and David S. Goyer serving as executive
producers. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will be distributed
worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment
Company. The film opens nationwide in RealD 3D, and in 2D, and in select
IMAX 3D theaters on March 25, 2016. This film has been rated PG-13 by
the MPAA for intense sequences of violence and action throughout,
and some sensuality. batmanvsupermandawnofjustice.com
ABOUT WARNER BROS. CONSUMER PRODUCTS:
Warner Bros. Consumer Products, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is
one of the leading licensing and retail merchandising organizations in
the world.
ABOUT DC ENTERTAINMENT:
DC Entertainment, home to iconic brands DC Comics (Superman, Batman,
Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash), Vertigo (Sandman, Fables) and
MAD, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating its
content across Warner Bros. Entertainment and Time Warner. DC
Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to
unleash its stories and characters across all media, including but not
limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment and
interactive games. Publishing thousands of comic books, graphic novels
and magazines each year, DC Entertainment is the largest
English-language publisher of comics in the world.
ABOUT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS:
Founded by Rick Hendrick in 1984, Hendrick Motorsports has earned more
than 200 race victories and a record 11 car owner championships in
NASCAR’s premier division, the Sprint Cup Series. In 2016, the
organization will field four full-time Chevrolet teams on the Sprint Cup
circuit with drivers Kasey Kahne, Chase Elliott, Jimmie Johnson and Dale
Earnhardt Jr. Headquartered in Concord, North Carolina, Hendrick
Motorsports employs more than 600 people. For more information,
please visit HendrickMotorsports.com or
interact on Twitter,
Facebook and Pinterest.
All related characters and elements are trademarks of and © DC Comics.
(s16)
Contacts
Warner Bros. Consumer Products
Katie Kotchka
818-954-7119
katie.kotchka@warnerbros.com
or
Hendrick
Motorsports (for Jimmie Johnson)
Amy Walsh
704-455-3400
awalsh@hmsracing.com
or
Hendrick
Motorsports (for Dale Earnhardt Jr.)
Tiffany Daniels
704-455-3400
tdaniels@hmsracing.com
