With the auto racing season in full swing, Dollar General has been using leaderboard ads on its website home page to recognize the racing victories earned by its sponsored drivers.The dollar store chain typically devotes prime space on the home page to its NASCAR and IndyCar Series sponsorships, a major advertising platform for the chain that it leverages in various ways. Among them are:Co-marketing: The retailer recently loaned its Dollar General Racing logo to a cross-merchandising promotion from Coca-Cola Co. and Kraft Foods (both of which have their own racing sponsorships). The partners promised $1 off the combined purchase of two two-liter beverages from Coca-Cola and one Kraft's Planters SKU, gaining endcap displays in stores for the effort.Private-label campaigns: After gaining exclusive rights to Rexall Sundown's Rexall brand (see "Dollar General Field Report: June 28, 2010" in Related Articles), the retailer plastered the brand's logo and colors on Braun Racing's No. 11 Toyota for three NASCAR Nationwide Series races last fall (with David Reutimann at the wheel). Earlier, the chain tapped Reed Sorenson, driver of Braun Racing's No. 32 car, to model its Open Trails men's apparel line. (See "Dollar General Field Report: Oct. 1, 2010.")Cause marketing: Last October, the retailer leveraged Breast Cancer Awareness Month by combining a monetary donation to Susan G. Komen for the Cure with pink paint schemes on some sponsored cars. (See the Oct. 1, 2010 Report.)Dollar General operates a microsite dedicated to its racing sponsorships. The site showcases the logos of the chain's "racing partners," which comprise Pactiv Corp.'s Hefty, General Mills' Betty Crocker, Church & Dwight Co.'s Arm & Hammer, Armored AutoGroup Inc.'s STP, Georgia-Pacific's Quilted Northern, Hanesbrands Inc.'s Hanes, Nestlé-Purina and NVE Pharmaceuticals' Stacker 2. The chain also has a Facebook page dedicated solely to racing that currently has approximately 14,000 fans.