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Sports Xtra: Big Machine's helping hand during pandemic

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INDIANAPOLIS — You likely know the name and chances are you definitely know their music label.

Scott and Mark Borchetta are the two behing Big Machine Vodka, their sponsorship of the Brickyard 400.

Whether it's Big Machine Records or Big Machine Vodka, in a Zoom call from Nashville, they're now adding something else during this pandemic.

"The pivot was very quick. My brother, before anyone was really doing anything said, 'Hey Mark, should we make hand sanitizer?'' March Borchetta said. "Literally the next day I called him up and said, 'Dude, we gotta do this. It's going to be a need.'"

Within six days, Mark was out in the street, handing first responders some 100 cases of hand sanitizer.

"We are now ordering by the 100,000. It's crazy," Borchetta said.

Production is coming from the same plants as their distillery — an easy modification producing sanitizer which meets the 80 percent alcohol mandate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"What we did, we made sure we didn't do a gel-type thing," Borchetta said. "Thi sis a product that is much more liquid so it evaporates more quickly."

Orders are coming in so quickly the company is hiring to fulfill the demand. From small bottles to spray bottles, pints and gallon jugs. Orders on their website are coming in from around the world during this world pandemic.

"I think people need to keep listening and tuning in," Borchetta said. "Nobody was prepared for this."

They've known racing for awhile, partnering with drivers like Tony Kanaan, Santino Ferrucci and Kyle Busch and now doing so much more.

"We're devastated to see what's going on but my brother and I are so grateful, how fortunate we are to be in a position to help," Borchetta said. "Wd din't plan it."

Help, maybe from where you least expect it, for as long as it takes.