10.12.2006, 16:42
Reaching the Big Time
Millions of fans dedicate a portion of their weekend to attending or watching NASCAR events, a far cry from the hundred or so who turned up in the sport’s early days to witness the competition on small dirt or asphalt tracks. In addition to unparalleled action, NASCAR has grown in leaps and bounds thanks to two entities: Sponsors and media coverage. Without either, NASCAR most likely would still be a regional sport with limited opportunities to get a first-hand look at the action.
[SIZE="1"][COLOR="#000080"]In 1970, Robert Glenn Johnson, Jr., a legendary driver and car owner who made his name as a bootlegger before racing in NASCAR, took a trip to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and changed the sport of stock-car racing forever. Johnson, who goes by Junior instead of his given name, went to the town to talk to
R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR) executives and convince them to sponsor his race team. The meeting resulted in much more than anyone imagined. Instead of sponsoring Johnson’s race team, RJR ended up sponsoring the entire series.
But things are always and in 2003, NASCAR and NEXTEL announced a 10-year series sponsorship beginning in 2004. The wireless communications leader wanted to build on the opportunities associated with the 55-year-old sanctioning body, as well as the numerous ways Nextel’s technology enhances the sport for fans, competitors, officials, media, sponsors, and tracks.
Nextel’s investment in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series goes beyond the race track, activating fan interactive opportunities as well as community and charity initiatives. The marketing pact between NASCAR and NEXTEL has proved to be a gold mine of opportunity. A FORTUNE 500 company, Nextel is a leading provider to fully-integrated wireless communications services and has built the largest guaranteed all-digital wireless network in the country.[/COLOR][/SIZE]
![[Image: markmartints6.jpg]](http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/3475/markmartints6.jpg)
MARK SAYS
[COLOR="#000080"][SIZE="1"]As you may guess, stock-car racing started out as a male-dominated sport, but change has come. Several women drivers and women team members have made it into NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, NASCAR Busch Series, and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Janet Guthrie raced in NASCAR Cup series in the mid-1970s and competed in the 1977 Daytona 500, making her the only woman to compete in NASCAR’s top series. She finished 12th. Patty Moise raced several seasons in the NASCAR Busch Series, and Shawna Robinson became the only woman to win a pole position for a NASCAR Busch Series race, but took a hiatus when she had difficulty securing a sponsor and then decided to have children. More recently, Tina Gordon has raced regularly in the NASCAR Busch Series, and Kelly Sutton is a regular NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competitor. Although not many women race, the ones who do aren’t harassed or berated. Robinson has said that people treat her just as they do the men drivers – and she prefers it that way because she would rather distinguish herself as a good driver than as a good female driver.
Today there are many women in the garage area, working as journalists and public relations representatives. While the number of woman working in the garage grew slowly over the years, the number of female fans has exploded. Today, nearly 40 percent of fans who attend races are women, which is a tremendous gain from 1975 when just 15 percent of attendees were women. This is all part of the overall growth of NASCAR.[/SIZE][/COLOR]
The sponsors
It costs tens of millions of dollars to operate a NASCAR team, so team owners must get companies to sponsor their racing organizations to ease most of the financial burden. These companies use NASCAR as a vehicle (no pun intended) for their marketing campaigns, with their logos plastered on the cars and the driver’s uniforms. But it’s a two-way street because NASCAR and its drivers also benefit. When NASCAR fans see an advertisement for Budweiser they think of Dale Earnhardt Jr., who is sponsored by that company. The same holds true for DuPont, which has reaped immeasurable benefits from its association with Jeff Gordon. Sponsors are integral in boosting NASCAR’s popularity and in turn gaining financial rewards. If it weren’t for sponsors, teams wouldn’t have the financial wherewithal to travel across the country so fans can see them compete in person.
Millions of fans dedicate a portion of their weekend to attending or watching NASCAR events, a far cry from the hundred or so who turned up in the sport’s early days to witness the competition on small dirt or asphalt tracks. In addition to unparalleled action, NASCAR has grown in leaps and bounds thanks to two entities: Sponsors and media coverage. Without either, NASCAR most likely would still be a regional sport with limited opportunities to get a first-hand look at the action.
Signing up the major sponsors
[SIZE="1"][COLOR="#000080"]In 1970, Robert Glenn Johnson, Jr., a legendary driver and car owner who made his name as a bootlegger before racing in NASCAR, took a trip to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and changed the sport of stock-car racing forever. Johnson, who goes by Junior instead of his given name, went to the town to talk to
R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR) executives and convince them to sponsor his race team. The meeting resulted in much more than anyone imagined. Instead of sponsoring Johnson’s race team, RJR ended up sponsoring the entire series.
But things are always and in 2003, NASCAR and NEXTEL announced a 10-year series sponsorship beginning in 2004. The wireless communications leader wanted to build on the opportunities associated with the 55-year-old sanctioning body, as well as the numerous ways Nextel’s technology enhances the sport for fans, competitors, officials, media, sponsors, and tracks.
Nextel’s investment in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series goes beyond the race track, activating fan interactive opportunities as well as community and charity initiatives. The marketing pact between NASCAR and NEXTEL has proved to be a gold mine of opportunity. A FORTUNE 500 company, Nextel is a leading provider to fully-integrated wireless communications services and has built the largest guaranteed all-digital wireless network in the country.[/COLOR][/SIZE]
MARK SAYS
Where are the women?
[COLOR="#000080"][SIZE="1"]As you may guess, stock-car racing started out as a male-dominated sport, but change has come. Several women drivers and women team members have made it into NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, NASCAR Busch Series, and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Janet Guthrie raced in NASCAR Cup series in the mid-1970s and competed in the 1977 Daytona 500, making her the only woman to compete in NASCAR’s top series. She finished 12th. Patty Moise raced several seasons in the NASCAR Busch Series, and Shawna Robinson became the only woman to win a pole position for a NASCAR Busch Series race, but took a hiatus when she had difficulty securing a sponsor and then decided to have children. More recently, Tina Gordon has raced regularly in the NASCAR Busch Series, and Kelly Sutton is a regular NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competitor. Although not many women race, the ones who do aren’t harassed or berated. Robinson has said that people treat her just as they do the men drivers – and she prefers it that way because she would rather distinguish herself as a good driver than as a good female driver.
Today there are many women in the garage area, working as journalists and public relations representatives. While the number of woman working in the garage grew slowly over the years, the number of female fans has exploded. Today, nearly 40 percent of fans who attend races are women, which is a tremendous gain from 1975 when just 15 percent of attendees were women. This is all part of the overall growth of NASCAR.[/SIZE][/COLOR]
The sponsors
It costs tens of millions of dollars to operate a NASCAR team, so team owners must get companies to sponsor their racing organizations to ease most of the financial burden. These companies use NASCAR as a vehicle (no pun intended) for their marketing campaigns, with their logos plastered on the cars and the driver’s uniforms. But it’s a two-way street because NASCAR and its drivers also benefit. When NASCAR fans see an advertisement for Budweiser they think of Dale Earnhardt Jr., who is sponsored by that company. The same holds true for DuPont, which has reaped immeasurable benefits from its association with Jeff Gordon. Sponsors are integral in boosting NASCAR’s popularity and in turn gaining financial rewards. If it weren’t for sponsors, teams wouldn’t have the financial wherewithal to travel across the country so fans can see them compete in person.