NASCAR losing sponsors

[tqj3]

Did anyone see the reports on NASCAR Edition of Speed News on Speed Channel this weekend?

 

Several drivers, including Jimmy Spencer and Tony Raines, are without sponsors and one theory is that NASCAR may be taking some sponsors and bringing them in as corporate sponsors.

 

Kyle Petty pointed out that sponsorship involved more than putting a product's name on the car (gee, that sounds familiar), and that a sponsor who only wanted to do that, and not do any advertising in support of their association with the racing team, would not be good in the long term. I think he stopped short of saying he'd turn down their money, but I suspect he would take the money and immediately begin a full press to find a replacement sponsor, knowing the first one's days are numbered.

 

Costs are up, things are getting tough on the track (one reason NASCAR is trying to spice up the Nextel Cup series), and the teams are still looking to the "quarterback" to bring additional financing. (That may help explain why Shane Hmiel is back in a car. Nothing works in NASCAR like having a famous, well-connected and/or rich family.)

 

On the local level, everyone wants to blame NASCAR and Saturday-night prime time racing for the decline in attendance at the local tracks. But even if the local fans want to come to the track, how do they find out when and what is racing where? Nobody in local short track racing is telling them. Everyone on this forum knows when the races are, but what about the casual fan, or the potential fan?

 

But NASCAR makes darn sure even the non-fans know when they are racing, just as you can't avoid knowing when the NFL is playing, or what the NBA matchups are, or when UT is doing anything. Seen all the hype on the Austin Wranglers indoor football team? There was even an editorial in this morning's Statesman welcoming the new team and wishing them luck. I wonder how they did that?

 

Actually, I don't wonder how they did that. I know. They did all the things that no Texas race track, race series, race team and very few race drivers in short track racing will do. I do wonder when we'll stop being naive about the way the world and the media work, and start working that end of the game. There is a readily-available list of those who have done this successfully: it's the starting grid in NASCAR Cup, Busch and Truck, plus the ASA guys, half the ARCA guys and girls, Formula 1, the various national touring series everywhere but the United States, and so on.

 

Meanwhile, the Statesman sports editor told Jon Sagester that they just don't have room in the paper for even a weekly wrapup of racing at Thunder Hill...