The American Le Mans racing series — founded in Atlanta by serial entrepreneur Don Panoz — is attracting luxury (and mass) brands.

At this weekend’s Petit Le Mans race at Road Atlanta, luxury brands such as Patrón Tequila and Oakley sunglasses will set up vending or hospitality tents in an effort to associate with the top car brands in the world, such as Audi, Aston Martin, Ferrari and Porsche, and lesser-known but still luxury cars by Panoz Motor Sports.

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PATRÓN SPIRITS CO.

Luxury brands such as Tequila Patrón hope to gain maximum exposure at the Luxury brands such as Tequila Patrón hope to gain maximum exposure at the Petit Le Mans race, an American Le Mans racing series event to be held this weekend at Road Atlanta in Braselton. This race car is sponsored by Tequila Patrón.

IF YOU GO
When: 11:15 a.m. Saturday
Where: Road Atlanta, Braselton
Information: www.roadatlanta.com

TOP SPONSORS
• Mazda
• Yokohama
• Chevrolet
• Dave & Buster's
• Patrón Tequila
• Lowe's
• Geico
• Circuit City
• Char-Broil
• Michelin
• Audi
• Porsche
• Cooper Tires
• BP
• Oakley sunglasses
• GM/ Corvette
• Acura
• Suzuki
• Panoz Merchandising

WHAT SERIES SPONSORS GET
• 17 telecasts
• 80 hours of TV coverage
• 623 brands mentioned 5,000 times
• Media exposure worth $104 million

TOP CAR BRANDS' EXPOSURE
• Porsche: $9.4 million
• Audi: $8.7 million
• Acura: $8.1 million

TOP SPONSORS' EXPOSURE
• XM Satellite Radio: $1.9 million
• Lowe's: $1.8 million
• DHL: $1.3 million
Source: sponsorship research firm Joyce Julius

But mass marketers will be there too. Mooresville, N.C.-based Lowe’s will bring its racing team deep in Atlanta-based Home Depot’s territory. So will GEICO insurance, Dave & Buster’s and Circuit City.

They all want to associate with some of the world’s finest cars to win fan loyalty, and hopefully, new customers.

The race, a 10-hour marathon, will include four classes of cars in a “race within a race” format. Drivers for the teams trade off during the long contest. The Petit Le Mans is one of 11 events held nationwide in the American Le Mans Series.

Carmakers use the races to test the newest technology for their road cars, like the Ferrari 430 GT or the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR. There are also cars that look more like batmobiles, such as the Acura ARX-01B, sponsored by Lowe’s Racing or Patrón Tequila.

“NASCAR and Indy Car racing don’t really relate to the regular consumers’ cars very much,” said Matt Carroll, chief marketing officer of the Patrón Spirits Co., based in Las Vegas. “We definitely align well with the brand names in the AMLS,” he said.

Patrón Tequila is a high-end, 100 percent agave spirit made in the Jalisco state of Mexico — Patrón Silver sells for $45 for a 750-milliliter bottle.

Carroll said that despite the economy (the company began sponsoring a race team prior to the economic downturn), the tequila fits with luxury car racing.

Last year, the race attracted 100,000 spectators. Road Atlanta is about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta and features a 2.54-mile race, 12-turn track. Fans spread out across the 750-acre Road Atlanta facility for several days of racing, shopping and star-gazing at the sleek race cars. And while some race spectators can’t even dream of buying a Porsche, a $45 bottle of tequila is a small luxury that many can afford, Carroll said.

“People can still treat themselves with our tequila and it won’t cost like a $100,000 car,” Carroll said. To that end, the tequila company will have a tent selling mixed drinks to introduce the spirit to fans.

The race “appeals to the high-end fan but also to our everyday customer as well,” agreed Chris Ahearn, a spokeswoman for Lowe’s, which sponsors a racing team.

In part, the success of these kinds of sponsorships goes along with television exposure.

“It’s getting very mainstream,” said Eric Wright, vice president of research and development at Joyce Julius, an Ann Arbor, Mich., sponsorship research firm.

“The AMLS enjoys some cool TV packages and extended coverage on the SPEED channel for some of the longer events,” Wright said. “They’re taking care of the hardcore race fan and also capturing the casual fan who may tune in and get hooked on the cool cars. That’s been a formula for success for motor sports for years.”

In addition to the SPEED channel, some of the races are broadcast on ABC and NBC Sports.

Said Wright: “The solid TV package has ignited the series’ growth.”

The long format of the races also pleases sponsors, he said, because they get mentioned on-screen for hours of live coverage.

In 2007, according to the firm’s research, the Le Mans races produced 80 hours of TV coverage. The 623 brands associated with the series were mentioned more than 5,000 times. His firm valued that at $104 million over 17 telecasts. That broke down to millions of dollars worth of TV time for the winningest cars. Last year, Porsche had $9.4 million in exposure, followed by Audi at $8.7 million and Acura at $8.1 million.

Major sponsors cashed in too: XM Satellite radio had $1.9 million worth of exposure; Lowe’s had $1.8 million and DHL had $1.3 million.

For Audi, the races combine testing technology and winning customers.

Christian Bokich, a spokesman for Audi of America, said the German carmaker sets up a suite at Le Mans races for Audi fans who pay $250 per person for unlimited beer, wine and food for the day, plus tours of the paddock and pit area. The suite sells out several months in advance, he said.

“You need to make sure customers can root with you,” he said. “People who come to the Le Mans series are right up our alley as far as the demographics go.”

He has found that 65 percent of the fans have college degrees — that’s Audi’s sweet spot.

“Look at the cars in the parking lot: Porsches, Corvettes. These are the customers we want. The customers we’re trying to attract are sitting right here on the bluffs.”