06.01.2007, 18:36
The primary sponsors are loaded
![[Image: imagestc6.jpg]](http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/2628/imagestc6.jpg)
GARAGE TALK
Primary sponsors are the bigwig companies that pay tens of millions of dollars to put their name on the car’s hood, which is the best place to advertise because fans can see it so well. The average price tag for being a primary sponsors of a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series team is $8 million per season – but higher profile and more successful teams get much more, many times in excess of $10 million. Teams have to secure a good primary sponsor because the costs of equipment, travel, and personnel are just too expensive for a team owner to absorb by himself. Without a constant flow of cash, a team can’t hire the best employees or get the best equipment – and in racing today, those factors are key to winning.
![[Image: markmartints6.jpg]](http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/3475/markmartints6.jpg)
MARK SAYS
Viagra is my current sponsor, but I’ve had other primary sponsors in the past, including Valvoline, Folger’s Coffee, Stroh’s Beer, and Amzoil. You can find all sports of companies involved in racing today – companies you’d never expect to be interested in stock-car racing at all: Kellogg’s, Target, M&Ms, and The Home Depot. Even Betty Crocker sponsored a car for a while. The diversity of these sponsors shows how much the sport has moved away from the days when oil and gasoline companies were the most common types of sponsors.
[SIZE=1]GARAGE TALK [/SIZE]
Primary sponsor also often help determine a car’s paint scheme, or the way a car is painted and decorated. The paint scheme usually stays much the same throughout a season, but sometimes sponsors change that look for certain races, perhaps to market a specific brand of their product or unveil something new. Team owner Joe Gibbs, who recently returned to coach the Washington Redskins, change NFL team names on his cars throughout the season, under an agreement with his primary sponsors and the NFL. When a special paint scheme is unveiled, fans tend to flock to stores to seek out souvenirs – many of which will become collectors’ items.
[SIZE=1]GARAGE TALK [/SIZE]
Not only do primary sponsors get the most exposure on uniforms and cars, they also get more of a commitment from the driver in terms of sponsor appearances. When a driver makes an appearance, he shows up to sign posters, programs, and trading cards for fans or employees at supermarket grand openings, auto shows, conventions, car dealerships, fairgrounds, auto stores, or other venues. Sometimes, sponsors also ask drivers to give a speech or host a question-and-answer session for fans or employees. With sponsors’ increasing involvement in the sport, public speaking and public relations are big parts of a driver’s life. How many appearances a driver is required to make depends on the contract he or she signs at the beginning of the season, which lists how many appearances the driver is obliged to provide. (See Chapter 7 for more information on a driver’s sponsor obligations.)
![[Image: tipgk8.jpg]](http://img394.imageshack.us/img394/448/tipgk8.jpg)
TIP
You’ll have better luck meeting a driver at an appearance than the race track. Most of the time when races come to a town, drivers make local appearances, so keep an eye on the newspaper for those dates and places. You also can find out where they’ll be during the week by checking with their race shops (see Chapter 15 for the addresses).
GARAGE TALK
Primary sponsors are the bigwig companies that pay tens of millions of dollars to put their name on the car’s hood, which is the best place to advertise because fans can see it so well. The average price tag for being a primary sponsors of a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series team is $8 million per season – but higher profile and more successful teams get much more, many times in excess of $10 million. Teams have to secure a good primary sponsor because the costs of equipment, travel, and personnel are just too expensive for a team owner to absorb by himself. Without a constant flow of cash, a team can’t hire the best employees or get the best equipment – and in racing today, those factors are key to winning.
MARK SAYS
Viagra is my current sponsor, but I’ve had other primary sponsors in the past, including Valvoline, Folger’s Coffee, Stroh’s Beer, and Amzoil. You can find all sports of companies involved in racing today – companies you’d never expect to be interested in stock-car racing at all: Kellogg’s, Target, M&Ms, and The Home Depot. Even Betty Crocker sponsored a car for a while. The diversity of these sponsors shows how much the sport has moved away from the days when oil and gasoline companies were the most common types of sponsors.
[SIZE=1]GARAGE TALK [/SIZE]
Primary sponsor also often help determine a car’s paint scheme, or the way a car is painted and decorated. The paint scheme usually stays much the same throughout a season, but sometimes sponsors change that look for certain races, perhaps to market a specific brand of their product or unveil something new. Team owner Joe Gibbs, who recently returned to coach the Washington Redskins, change NFL team names on his cars throughout the season, under an agreement with his primary sponsors and the NFL. When a special paint scheme is unveiled, fans tend to flock to stores to seek out souvenirs – many of which will become collectors’ items.
[SIZE=1]GARAGE TALK [/SIZE]
Not only do primary sponsors get the most exposure on uniforms and cars, they also get more of a commitment from the driver in terms of sponsor appearances. When a driver makes an appearance, he shows up to sign posters, programs, and trading cards for fans or employees at supermarket grand openings, auto shows, conventions, car dealerships, fairgrounds, auto stores, or other venues. Sometimes, sponsors also ask drivers to give a speech or host a question-and-answer session for fans or employees. With sponsors’ increasing involvement in the sport, public speaking and public relations are big parts of a driver’s life. How many appearances a driver is required to make depends on the contract he or she signs at the beginning of the season, which lists how many appearances the driver is obliged to provide. (See Chapter 7 for more information on a driver’s sponsor obligations.)
TIP
You’ll have better luck meeting a driver at an appearance than the race track. Most of the time when races come to a town, drivers make local appearances, so keep an eye on the newspaper for those dates and places. You also can find out where they’ll be during the week by checking with their race shops (see Chapter 15 for the addresses).