JACKSONVILLE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 17, 2012--
Regan Smith, driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet in the NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series, got behind the controls of a CSX locomotive at 12:45
p.m. on Friday, February 17 at the company’s Moncrief Yard, 1718-1 North
McDuff Avenue. Smith kicked off a NASCAR season dedicated to urging
motorists and pedestrians to exercise caution around train tracks.
The following weekend, Smith will drive possibly the first car in
Daytona 500 history to sport an actual bumper sticker, this one saying
simply, “I brake for trains” when the Great American Race gets the green
flag on Sunday, February 26.
As an associate sponsor of the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet and Smith,
CSX is using one of the hottest, up-and-coming teams in NASCAR to
further deliver its message to motorists to never try to beat a train at
a crossing and to pedestrians to stay off the tracks. About every three
hours, a person or a vehicle is hit by a train, according to federal
statistics.
“One incident is too many,” says Cliff Stayton, CSX director-community
affairs and safety. “Public awareness is a key part of our safety
campaign, and we’re thrilled to be working with Regan and the No. 78
car. Even though they’re a one-car team, they always seem to find a way
to be in the mix. I guess, to borrow an old railroad story, they’re the
‘little engine that could.’”
“We’re honored to get the opportunity to spread such an important
message,” says Smith. “Trains can’t stop on a dime. In fact, they can
take up to a mile to stop.”
The bumper sticker and associated promotion is part of a larger CSX
campaign called “Play it safe.” The multimedia campaign includes
billboards strategically placed by rail crossings, online advertising,
social media and other communications that urge caution.
Other executions in the series include the lines, “Cautious Diem,” “Open
up a giant can of safety” and “I’d rather be chicken than fried.”
CSX pedestrian and motorist campaigns have been featured in the Wall
Street Journal, ESPN, Associated Press, ABC, FOX and other national
media.
One audience, in particular, Stayton hopes to reach are the 42 other
drivers racing in the Daytona 500. “We want them to trail the No. 78 for
as much of the race as possible,” says Stayton, “especially at the end
of the last lap.”
CSX Corporation (NYSE:CSX), based in Jacksonville, Fla., is one of
the nation’s leading transportation companies, connecting customers to
ports, distribution centers and markets across the eastern United
States. Through grass-roots volunteerism and focused corporate giving,
CSX is committed to supporting the communities where it operates. For
more information on the company, visit www.csx.com.
For more information on CSX Corporate Citizenship, visit www.beyondourrails.org.
The Denver-based Furniture Row Racing single-car team and its driver
Regan Smith enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2011. Smith and Furniture
Row Racing captured their first career NASCAR victory in May, winning
the famed Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.
Source: CSX Corporation
for CSX Corporation
Eric Hartsock, 443-858-4437
ehartsock@exit10.com