Swiss watchmaker Longines, has expanded its partnership as official timekeeper of Churchill Downs racetrack by also agreeing a five-year title sponsorship agreement with the $1 million Kentucky Oaks.

Longines also will host events surrounding the Oaks on Friday, including the Longines Kentucky Oaks Fashion Contest and the Winner’s Party, and the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (a race for female horses) on Derby Day. In 2012, 112,552 people attended the races on Friday, which is an unofficial holiday in Louisville, with schools and many businesses closed.

“Our passion at Longines is equestrian sport, so we are delighted to return for a third year as the official watch and timekeeper of the Kentucky Derby and to expand our partnership to include the Longines Kentucky Oaks,” Longines president Walter von Kanel said in the news release. “This partnership embodies the Longines brand image and philosophy stated in its slogan, ‘Elegance is an attitude.”

Longines will award a diamond-studded watch to the winner of the Oaks fashion contest on “Pink Out!” day, when survivors of breast cancer are honored and attendees are encouraged to wear all pink to the track.

“Longines Kentucky Oaks Day is all about the ladies,” Churchill Downs president Kevin Flanery said. “Our female fans continue to respond favorably to the new traditions of fashion and fun that we have been bringing them over these last few years, and we feel that the elegant Longines brand is a natural fit for the feminine spirit of the Longines Kentucky Oaks.” 

University of Illinois’ Assembly Hall, which hosts Fighting Illini men’s and women’s basketball teams is set to be renamed following a naming rights deal with State Farm Insurance Co.

In a 30-year, $60 million agreement, the home of the university’s basketball teams will be known immediately as State Farm Center. The change comes as the arena undergoes a renovation that is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2016.

Athletic director Mike Thomas says the university is proud of the new relationship with State Farm. He added the insurance company, headquartered in Bloomington, is “one of the most respected corporate brands in the world.”

“State Farm has been an outstanding partner for the University of Illinois for more than two decades,” Thomas said. “The Assembly Hall is one of the most recognizable structures in the nation and, at 50 years of age, has served the UI campus, community and central Illinois very well.”

The Assembly Hall renovation project’s price tag is currently set at $160 million. Students at Illinois’ Urbana-Champaign campus have agreed pay a $50 annual fee to help pay for the renovations.

The university is upgrading the arena by adding luxury boxes, air conditioning and other features. The bulk of the work is expected to be paid for through private fundraising and the naming rights.

“We are proud to be a part of the renovation of this classic Illinois venue, and further expand our longstanding relationship with the University of Illinois …,” said State Farm executive vice president Randall Harbert.

State Farm Center is the second in the Big Ten with a corporate donor. In 2011, Pinnacle Bank purchased the naming rights to the University of Nebraska’s arena for $11.2 million over 25 years.

Road America announced today that CTECH, the leader in innovative aluminum trailer, shop, cart storage and cabinet solutions, has agreed to be the Wisconsin circuit’s official tool cart and cabinet provider.

CTECH custom designed carts and cabinets will be utilized at various locations around Road America. Providing an opportunity for fans and racers to see firsthand the latest CTECH innovations and exciting products that CTECH has to offer. CTECH will also have an at-track marketing presence during events.

“It may be an old cliché, but having the right tool for the job can make all the difference to us,” said Road America president and general manager George Bruggenthies. “With an event almost every weekend, our teams are constantly maintaining either the track’s support equipment or the surrounding facility. CTECH, and their purpose-built cart and cabinet solutions are exactly what we need to support our efforts at Road America and we are proud to have CTECH join our family of partners.”

“Whether it’s maintaining the facility or working in the shop – to be winners, teams have to rely on their equipment and we are delighted to be the ‘tool cart and cabinet of choice’ for Road America,” said Dean Lee, business manager for CETCH.

Road America’s will host upcoming events such as the GEICO Motorcycle AMA Subway SuperBike Doubleheader, AHRMA Vintage Motorcycle Classic, WeatherTech Chicago Region SCCA June Sprints and The NASCAR Nationwide Series and ARCA Series.

Oil and gas industry leader, BHP Billiton Petroleum has secured the namings rights to the northeast gate at Houston Texans’ Reliant Stadium.

The agreement also includes presenting sponsorship of the Texans’ “Liberty White” home game and the Texans Community Quarterback Program which benefits volunteers from United Way Agencies. BHP Billiton Petroleum will also become the presenting sponsor of the Rodeo’s Armed Forces Day.

The signage and naming rights transition will begin in mid-March, following the conclusion of the 2013 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

“BHP Billiton Petroleum is pleased to partner with the Texans and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Our organizations share a strong commitment to the Houston community. We see this as a great platform for building our visibility and attracting the talent we need for our future growth,” said J. Michael Yeager, Chief Executive BHP Billiton Petroleum

The Texans’ first home game of the season, at which the team traditionally wears its all-white uniforms, will be known as “Liberty White presented by BHP Billiton Petroleum,” and the company will also sponsor the Texans’ Community Quarterback program, which recognizes and rewards outstanding volunteers in the Greater Houston area each year.

“As one of the leading oil and gas producers in Texas, we believe it is very important to contribute in a positive way to our communities, which is why we have joined forces with the Texans to recognize the exceptional contributions of community volunteers in the Greater Houston area and through our Rodeo sponsorship of Armed Forces Appreciation Day, honor brave men and women for their service in the U.S. Military.” Mr. Yeager said. 

“We are proud to welcome BHP Billiton Petroleum to Reliant Stadium and are looking forward to building a great relationship with them over the coming years,” said Houston Texans president Jamey Rootes. “We are particularly excited to work with BHP Billiton Petroleum in recognizing the many outstanding leaders who are making an impact throughout the Houston community as part of our Community Quarterback program.”

Jamba Juice Company, price a leading healthy, pills active lifestyle brand announced today that it has entered into a sponsorship agreement with USA Water Polo.

Through the partnership, arthritis USA Water Polo and its 2012 Olympic Medalists will join Jamba in supporting a variety of activities aimed at inspiring and simplifying healthy, active lifestyles, and will serve as spokespersons for Jamba’s naturally caffeinated energy drink made with 70% juice.

“Our organization and our athletes are great fans of Jamba products and their efforts to promote healthy living,” said Jennifer Rottenberg, Chief Marketing Officer, USA Water Polo. “The Jamba brand and what it stands for makes their products a natural fit for athletes and sports organizations like ours.” In 2012, USA Water Polo and Jamba collaborated on a fitness clinic at which aspiring young athletes from various Los Angeles schools learned about the need for proper nutrition while getting personal water polo instruction from USA Water Polo Olympic Medalists.

USA Water Polo and Jamba will collaborate in a variety of activities including promotions at USA Water Polo events, athlete appearances at Jamba stores, fitness clinics and social media activities.

Julie S. Washington, Jamba SVP and Chief Brand Officer added, “At Jamba, we focus on encouraging good nutritional habits and promoting physical fitness, so USA Water Polo’s commitment to excellence and maintaining fitness perfectly complements our brand message.” 

Canadian Tire Motorsport Park announced today that Chevrolet will be the title sponsor of the first Canadian race for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, health taking place on Labour Day Weekend, August 30 – September 1.

The name of the race will be the Chevrolet Silverado 250.

“We are thrilled to have our official vehicle supplier Chevrolet, as the title sponsor of the first Canadian NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on the storied 3.957 km road course on September 1st,” said Myles Brandt, President and General Manager of Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. “Having such an iconic brand such as Chevrolet come on board for this historic event shows their commitment to the track, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and local community in which many of their vehicles are built.”

“Chevrolet has a long and celebrated history in racing, and we are proud to introduce the Chevrolet Silverado 250 as the first Canadian race in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, right here in our own backyard,” said Marc Comeau, Vice President of Sales, Service and Marketing for Chevrolet in Canada. “With the launch of the 2014 Silverado, new from hood to hitch, this event is a natural fit to showcase its innovative features, capability, performance and unmatched V8 power and efficiency.” 

Mystik Lubricants has renewed its title sponsorship of the Terracross Championship series, providing a unique opportunity to showcase the Mystik product line.

Now known as the Mystik Lubricants Terracross Championship (MLTC), the 2013 season consists of three race events. The first takes place at the ERX Motor Park in August and is followed by Haydays Snowmobile Grass Drags in September, both of which are in Minnesota. The third race will take place in Las Vegas with a date and venue to be announced soon.

“We partnered with Joe Duncan and his team for one of the two Terracross races during its 2012 inaugural year and were so pleased with the success of the event that we wanted to renew and expand our partnership in 2013,” said Karl Schmidt , general manager of petrochemicals and lubricants for CITGO Petroleum Corporation. “The Terracross Championship provides us an opportunity to showcase our products to an audience that enjoys watching athletes push themselves and their machines to their fullest potential.”

This is the second season of the Terracross Championship series, which invites some of the most recognized powersports and action sports athletes racing side-by-sides, utility quads and sport quads on the toughest manmade tracks imaginable. The participation as title sponsor of MLTC gives Mystik Lubricants substantial brand visibility alongside other nationally recognized brands such as Polaris, Kawasaki and Rath Racing.

“We’re excited to have Mystik Lubricants as our title sponsor,” said Joe Duncan , executive director of the Terracross Championship series. “The success of our first season is driving us to work harder to create more challenging courses, resulting in more hardcore performances for our fans. Because the Mystik Lubricants brand and products carry such industry credibility and are known for their proven performance in tough conditions, our riders have come to depend on Mystik products in their engines to help them dominate in their respective events.”