Nothing like sponsoring a sporting event to bolster your image. Boston Scientific execs are trying this tried-and-true tactic to remind people there’s more to the device maker than stents that need safety warnings, defribillators that are recalled and employees who get laid off.

What’s not widely known is that the company also makes a spinal cord stimulation system, or SCS, which modifies pain signals traveling to the brain so a sensation other than pain is perceived. Race-car driver Mike Roman swears by it. He lost a right leg to staph infections and chronic pain. So Boston Scientific will feature him in its new promotional campaign dubbed a Race Against Pain.

Roman will drive a Boston Scientific car as part of the Sports Car Club of America’s national circuit. You can watch this very interesting fellow here.

Maybe ceo Jim Tobin wants to try his own spinal chord system. With a debt rating just above junk status and new medical studies questioning his stents, he could use some pain relief from all those skeptical doctors and investors. Strap yourself in, Jim, the race is on.

[tags]Boston Scientific, Celebrity Endorsements[/tags]