ESPN Racing

BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- The popularity of NASCAR-branded merchandise with customers of Wal-Mart Stores has prompted the national racing group to open a licensing office in northwest Arkansas.

The two-person office will be a satellite of NASCAR's licensing headquarters, which operates out of the organization's office at Charlotte, N.C. NASCAR's headquarters are at Daytona Beach, Fla., but it also has offices in New York, Los Angeles and Toronto.

Mark Dyer, licensing vice president for NASCAR, said the office here would allow the company to work closely with the retail giant and with Wal-Mart vendors who want to tap the popularity of auto racing. The office will license new products and work closely with Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which already sells a variety of NASCAR merchandise.

Larry Helton, a former national retail operations manager for the Gillette Co., will head NASCAR's Bentonville office.

"It's a great opportunity to get to work for them," Helton said at the opening of the office Wednesday. "This will allow the sport to continue to succeed across the country."

More than 100 Wal-Mart employees and vendors showed up at the opening, many of them seeking autographs from driver Kurt Busch, the reigning Nextel Cup champion.

"This partnership allows us to make a larger impact," Busch said.

Like other NASCAR drivers, Busch relies heavily on sponsorships for financial and public support.

"There are so many sponsorship opportunities that have allowed the sport to grow," Busch said. "There is a sponsor-fan-driver relationship."

Dyer said sales of NASCAR-licensed products had declined at small retail operations, but the company has made overall gains through online sellers and big-box retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target.

Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press

This story is from ESPN.com's automated news wire. Wire index