NASCAR and Harlequin have cut a deal to publish a line of NASCAR romance novels. The novels will have NASCAR themes and be published with NASCAR logos on the covers. The first novel in the imprint is In the Groove by romance novelist Pamela Britton. The News & ObserversaysIn the Groove will debut in January just before the Daytona 500.
The new project, in conjunction with romance publisher Harlequin Enterprises Ltd., kicks off with "In the Groove," to be published in late January, right before the Daytona 500. It's an attempt to appeal to a female fan base that isn't likely to be wooed by Caterpillar and Lowe's. Of NASCAR's estimated 75 million fans, roughly 40 percent are female.
Gentlemen, start your emotions.
"When the wife or girlfriend goes to get a book about NASCAR, so many times it's a book that they would get for their husband or boyfriend," said Kerry Tharp, NASCAR's director of public relations for licensing. "Now, maybe they can get a book that they would be more interested in and still have the NASCAR storylines."
XM Radio's NASCAR channel has also been running a contest to find the best or funniest NASCAR romance novel titles. It may sound like a funny deal at first -- it was even discussed on Comedy's Central's The Colbert Report. But NASCAR and Harlequin may be on to something because apparently NASCAR's fan base is 40% women and romance readers buy lots of books as Pamela Britton points out in a Note from Pam called "I Ain't Writin' No Trashy Novels."
NASCAR and Harlequin have cut a deal to publish a line of NASCAR romance novels. The novels will have NASCAR themes and be published with NASCAR logos on the covers. The first novel in the imprint is 
