Mars Chocolate North America announced that Joseph Haus of Phoenix was selected as the grand prize winner of M&M’S Brand “MOST COLORFUL FAN of NASCAR” Contest.
Haus topped more than 6,000 other colorful NASCAR fans who entered the contest, held between Memorial Day and Labor Day, by uploading his colorful photo to NASCAR.com/MostColorfulFans, showing his dedication to the sport of NASCAR.
Haus and his family, with their NASCAR-themed garage decorated with racing flags, life-sized cardboard cutouts of their favorite drivers and more, are scheduled to be featured in a display in the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C., for one year beginning in May 2011. He also wins $10,000 and a trip to the NASCAR Hall of Fame Museum to see his display unveiled.
“NASCAR fans are, without a doubt, the most visible part of the sport and they deserve to be recognized and rewarded on a national stage,” said Suzanne Beaudoin, vice president, Sponsorships and Sports Marketing, Mars Chocolate North America. “There is no better place to pay tribute to colorful passionate fans than the NASCAR Hall of Fame. M&M’S is proud to exclusively feature a fan in the NASCAR Hall of Fame each year, and we look forward to continuing the tradition.”
M&M’S Brand “MOST COLORFUL FAN of NASCAR” Contest recognizes, celebrates and rewards all fans for showcasing their colorful passion for the sport and drivers of NASCAR. The contest went live on May 31, 2010, at Nascar.com, the official Web site of NASCAR. For 14 weeks, fans were able to showcase their love for the sport, as well as their support of their favorite teams and drivers, by uploading their racing-themed photos to NASCAR.com/MostColorfulFans. The site also served as a virtual tailgating hub, with a recipe database that fans could access and contribute to, racing-themed polls, Facebook content updates and more.
As NASCAR drivers headed into The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup in September, the 14 weekly winners entered the “Final Round.” Three “Finalists” were selected based on photos with the most fan votes, to be eligible for the grand prize. Haus, who has been a NASCAR fan for more than 10 years, said that securing the most votes was “hard work” and credits his social network of family, friends, co-workers, employees of his local convenience store, and others for propelling him to the winner’s circle.
Haus remembers Dale Earnhardt Sr. winning the Daytona 500 and seeing everyone in Pit Road greet him with high-fives and he’s been a fan of the sport ever since. “When you open our garage, it looks exactly like the picture,” said Haus. “Let’s be as colorful as we can. I thought, ‘Let’s go all out for this thing. We really could win this.'”