NASCAR Sponsors

One of my favorite things about NASCAR is the colorful cars. I know that sounds like a 2^nd grader and maybe that is the little boy coming out in me but one of the first things I always look for when watching a race are different paint schemes or different sponsors on race cars and for some strange reason I spend way too much time contemplating the different sponsors in NASCAR. I normally focus on sponsors who I do not think belong in NASCAR, sponsors that do belong, and sponsors that should consider belonging in the future. Over the next few paragraphs I want to examine each of these three issues separately. (Please note: For this article I am taking a look at the main sponsors for each car for the upcoming Ford 400 race- (http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2009/36/data/entry_list.html)

To begin let's take a look at sponsors that do not belong. It should be noted that I base my theories on my own opinions; no real research has been used while constructing this article. I simply ask myself, based on what I know about NASCAR, why do these sponsors even put money into this sport. I should also note that I have to be rather picky when looking at sponsors that do not belong. Siemens will be sponsoring Reed Sorenson this upcoming weekend and while they have not been a longtime sponsor we will still evaluate them. The description you will find for Siemens if you Google them is this - "Siemens AG is a global powerhouse in electronics and electrical engineering, operating in the industry, energy and healthcare sectors (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=siemens&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g10)." Just take a look at their products and I think you will see what I am saying regarding their sponsorship of NASCAR (http://w1.siemens.com/entry/cc/en/). I am tempted to thrown 3M (Greg Biffle's sponsor) into this same category but they seem slightly more relevant and undeserving of this award. Without going into as much detail, another sponsor I cannot quite understand is Office Depot and if I want to get extremely picky I could throw Target and Aflac in here. I just do not see a lot of NASCAR fans being Target patrons or having insurance with Aflac. Finally, I think we would all somewhat agree the most famous race car in the entire sport is probably the 24 (DuPont is the sponsor of this vehicle driven by Jeff Gordon) and I honestly have no clue what they are doing in this sport. In fact, I believe their marketing team may be thinking along the same lines as I am regarding next year.

This next paragraph is easy. Any sponsor that I did not mention above belongs in NASCAR with emphasis on any company directly or indirectly related to the automotive industry (e.g., Mobil 1, Napa, Shell, Motorcraft, etc.) and alcohol related companies (e.g., Miller Lite, Jack Daniels, Budweiser, Crown Royal). Since I could list basically every other sponsor I want to list a few sponsors who especially fit the bill when it comes to being a NASCAR sponsor - Bass Pro Shops, Home Depot, Dewalt, Caterpillar, and Lowes. Finally, any auto insurance company is definitely putting their money to good use when they can sponsor a quality driver.

Last but not least I want to examine a few companies who definitely need to enter the ring when it comes to sponsoring a driver in NASCAR. Where in the world is Wal-Mart? I would think that Wal-Mart would definitely want a big role in the NASCAR scene. I would think that more NASCAR fans shop at Wal-Mart than those who even know Target exists. While McDonalds does sponsor occasionally I feel that they should definitely enter the picture as a full time sponsor. I cannot believe AT&T ended their sponsorship of Jeff Burton. I would think communication companies such as AT&T would definitely want to be involved. Where is John Deere? Where is Coca-Cola or PepsiCo? What about Sears? Not that they need any help but I think Google would be an excellent sponsor. I mean just imagine seeing the Google car come around 250-350 times. If I did not have anything to Google I would definitely come up with something to Google once I got home just because the image of the car was burned in my mind. Obviously, I understand that all these companies have their reasons for not being in the sport and their reasons are based on sound statistical evidence where as my opinions are based on what goes on in my head. I hope to see some of these companies make their entrance as key sponsors (some are already sponsors in a limited role) over the next few years.