Henderson man hopes sponsorship boosts energy drink business

Hammered by the construction industry for the past two years, Kenny Freeman decided to launch a new business venture and is getting the word out at today's Sam's Town 300 Nationwide Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Freeman, whose family has been in the carpet business for 50 years, is spending $10,000 to put his Race Fuel energy drink logo on the hood of the No. 70 Chevy Impala driven by 25-year-old Shelby Howard.

"Shelby has raced in Vegas before and he has respectable performances," Freeman, a veteran off-road racer from Henderson, said Friday at the speedway. "His team was very receptive and offered us the hood and the TV panel for a very good price. They have bent over backward for me with this deal and I'm excited to be sponsoring their team."

While this is a one-time deal for the Sam's Town 300, Freeman said he's looking into what it'll take to sponsor Howard in other races.

"NASCAR is the way to go as far as auto racing advertising is concerned. The drivers are on national television and that provides incredible exposure," he said.

Freeman said he's been "knocking on doors" to get Race Fuel on local convenience store shelves by the end of the month. The 12-ounce energy drink is available online at www.racefuelenergydrink.com for $18.99 a case, plus tax and shipping.

The businessman said he invested $35,000 to $40,000 in developing the product with a beverage company in Southern California.

"It took about two months to get the natural taste we wanted," Freeman said. "Every one I've tasted has an aftertaste to it. Let's do something you can actually drink and you don't have to grimace when you drink it."

Howard, of Greenwood, Ind., was 17 when he made his debut in the Nationwide series at Kansas Speedway, where he finished 20th. His career-best finish was fifth at Talladega in 2010, and he's 18th in Nationwide point standings.

He's also got sponsorship from the Stratosphere hotel and casino on the car's rear quarter panels. Other sponsors include Biomet, Foretravel Motorcoach and International Trucks.

"We've got a really good car for Las Vegas that we took to Orlando (Fla.) to test last month," Howard said. "That car showed a lot of speed and handles really well. I'm looking forward to running at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and I'm especially excited to have the Race Fuel and Stratosphere hotel logos on my car."

Contact reporter Hubble Smith at hsmith@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0491.