Subprime lender Centrix Financial LLC is launching a marketing campaign that targets customers earlier in the purchase process, before they are in the F&I office.

Starting next month, Centrix will qualify consumers for loans in advance and direct those consumers to one of the 8,000 dealerships that work with Centrix in the United States, reported Automotive News.

“We're sending [dealers] a prequalified, approved customer,” said Robert Sutton, CEO of Centrix. “The only thing they've got to do is point them to the right car.”

According to Sutton, one of the key challenges of the new campaign will be educating consumers about what Centrix offers. In February, its Web site will include a feature that enables visitors to determine how much money they are qualified to borrow to buy a vehicle.

Centrix will notify consumers by e-mail of the maximum loan for which they are eligible, according to Automotive News. The e-mail notice will also include a list of dealerships near the consumer that offer Centrix loans.

As the official auto finance company of NASCAR, Centrix plans to use this relationship to gain greater exposure with consumers. A seven-state road show has been planned to follow 13 Nextel Cup Series races this year.

Centrix is the primary sponsor of a Chevrolet car that is scheduled to race in 10 of the races. The car will feature the Centrix company logo. In addition to Centrix, General Motors Acceptance Corp. has been a primary sponsor of a NASCAR vehicle since 1998.

NASCAR said 72 percent of its fans are more likely to buy a sponsor's product than a similar product sold by a company that is not a NASCAR sponsor. Seventy-five million U.S. fans follow the Nextel Cup Series.