Central Standard logo on an Indy 500 race car
A Milwaukee distillery has teamed up with AJ Foyt Racing and Belardi Auto Racing to have its logo on one of the top cars in Sunday’s Indianapolis 500.
Central Standard Craft Distillery, launched in 2014 in the Walker’s Point neighborhood, will have its logo on car No. 33, driven by James Davison.
At the start of the race, which in past years has been broadcast in more than 200 countries, Davison’s car will be in the seventh row in the 19th position.
The Central Standard logo will be on the nose of the car, a good spot for overhead camera shots delivered to a worldwide audience of several hundred million viewers.
“It’s brand recognition. We wanted a marketing campaign on a national scale,” said Central Standard co-founder Evan Hughes.
Terms of the deal weren’t made public, but some companies spend millions to have their name splashed in a prominent spot on a single race car. The cost varies widely depending on the car, the driver, the logo and the positioning.
What started with company names on Indy 500 cars in the 1920s has evolved to include driver uniforms, crew shirts, track walls and video boards.
“This is our first time doing Indy, so it’s a learning experience. But we wanted to be on a national stage,” Hughes said.
He and Central Standard co-founder Pat McQuillan got interested in the race through Brian Berlardi of Mequon and Belardi Racing.
“We are huge sports fans,” Hughes said.
Central Standard shares a building with Milwaukee Brewing Co. at South 2nd and West Bruce streets, the same area that’s housed Anodyne Coffee Roasting and Clock Shadow Creamery.
Central quickly outgrew its distillery, which doubles as a tasting room, and early this year opened a distillery in an old industrial building at 2330 W. Clybourn St., west of Marquette University.
The distillery just launched its Door County Cherry Vodka and has more new products coming this summer.
During Sunday’s race, there will be a tasting party at the 613 S. 2nd St. location starting at 11 a.m.