Hot Wheels, Wheldon, And The Upcoming Season

Last night, my oldest daughter and I watched Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 online. The reason, of course, being that Dan Wheldon was a guest star on the their most recent episode. I think Dan was a little taller in the cartoon than in real life, but that’s ok; that’s what cartoons are for. If we have talking bears and a sponge living in a pineapple under the sea, then by gum, Wheldon can be 5’10”.

It kept my kid entertained, which is good, and she wanted to know a little more about Dan Wheldon (and of course, her dad, starved for any sort of meaningful real-life IndyCar discussion in the cruel, cruel offseason, was more than happy to tell her more than she ever wanted to know). More to the point, though, Hot Wheels is a series sponsor. They’ve been tied to a big promotion this May (a life-size Hot Wheels track at the Indy 500). As a regular show on Cartoon Network, Battle Force 5 right now is their biggest media tie-in. Certainly the series wouldn’t push a driver they didn’t expect to be in a full-time ride this year, right? They must be considering it a good possibility we see Dan Wheldon in 2011, yeah?

At least that’s what I keep telling myself.

Regardless of all that, the cartoon was fun, and was very positive towards Wheldon, IndyCar, and the Indy 500. I hope we see more in that vein for the Hot Wheels/IndyCar partnership soon. An actively promoting sponsor such as Hot Wheels is great news for the series.

Say what you will, I like that aero kit.