NASCAR Car Wash Revs Up for Chicago Debut

CHICAGO -- One year after receiving the exclusive rights to use the NASCAR logo on car washes across North America, Dan Dyer, CEO of NASCAR Car Wash is preparing to open the first of several in the Chicagoland area.

The grand opening for the first NASCAR Car Wash location will be in Romeoville, Ill. on Sept. 15. The opening coincides with the NASCAR version of the playoffs -- the Chase for the Sprint Cup. The new car wash is a few miles from Chicagoland Speedway where the Chase begins, according to the company.

Dyer is hoping the connection will pay off. According to Experian Consumer Research, Simmons National Consumer Survey, Fall Full Year 2010, NASCAR fans are 30 percent more likely than non-fans to own three or more vehicles; and 30 percent are more likely to have shopped at automotive-focused stores in the past year. In addition, Ipsos Brand Tracker 2010 found that 84 percent of avid NASCAR fans agree that when they see the NASCAR logo on something, they know it will be a quality product.

The Romeoville, Ill. location is just the beginning. Reflagging and groundbreakings in the Chicago area and Midwest are slated for the coming months. NASCAR Car Wash projects washing 10,000 cars per location each month and each location will employ an average of 40 people. The company's growth plan charts 30 to 50 locations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Upper Indiana by 2016.