" NASCAR'S Sponsors, Hit by Sticker Shock "

[Don]

Source: NYTIMES.com

December 14, 2008
Nascar’s Sponsors, Hit by Sticker Shock
By SUSANNA HAMNER

" At the Indianapolis Motor Speedway last July, the parking lot was filled with excited Nascar fans chugging beer, roasting pigs and exchanging drivers’ statistics.

But in an office inside the racetrack, the scene was far from celebratory. Executives of the Big Three Detroit automakers told Brian France, the Nascar chief executive and chairman, that they planned to cut their investments in the sport sharply in the 2009 racing season.

Since then, Chevrolet has said it is cutting back on advertising and sponsorship deals with 12 tracks. Ford is trimming Nascar spending by 20 percent, and Chrysler by 30 percent. "


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/14/bu...html?th&emc=th

[Ron61]

Don,

I think everyone saw this coming over a year ago. France just doesn't want to admit that NASCAR could be facing problems ahead. I think that since the Big 3 are asking for tax payers to bail them out they should stop all spending on NASCAR. I saw Ray Eberham on TV the other day and he is selling his part of that team and getting out of NASCAR as he said it is just to expensive and the sponsors just aren't there any more. Richard Petty is also going to have just the 43 car and only if they can find a partner and sponsor. There was a rumor going around near the middle of last season that Ford may pull out completely.

Ron

[Doug I]

Given the right management this could be the chance for NASCAR to get back to it's original roots and show some definite development in the cars from the teams that would emerge from this. The existing fan base will stay and a whole new base could get onboard as they are those who want to see real stock car racing similar to the Australasian series. But alas the right management isn't there ...... so ..... who knows what will happen.

[Silverback51]

Originally Posted by Doug I

Given the right management this could be the chance for NASCAR to get back to it's original roots and show some definite development in the cars from the teams that would emerge from this. The existing fan base will stay and a whole new base could get onboard as they are those who want to see real stock car racing similar to the Australasian series. But alas the right management isn't there ...... so ..... who knows what will happen.

It will be the same boring, staged racing that it's been for the last decade. I don't even watch it anylonger.

[Bill Bess]

Who knows what will happen..maybe NASCAR will get real again and more competitive for independent racers. I enjoy following NASCAR, but it's all about money now and the "big money guys" keep on winning. I like to see it more like local racing, unpredictable, and less expense for fans to follow and attend these events.

Bill, Oh it's no more boring than Baseball, Football and Basketball,.. Nascar is for gearheads and folks that like to go fast.

[Ron61]

Bill,

I would just like to see them at least use real cars, not those that they designed which don't in any way resemble a production car. Then Ford, GM, & etc pay a fortune to have their names painted on them. I used to really follow NASCAR close but haven't for several years for a couple of reasons. One is I like road racing more and there is more of it being shown on TV. Two is so many of the NASCAR races are just high speed parades and the only way to pass is wreck someone or manage to get out ahead of them from the pits. I am all for safety but the Le Mans series and other road races also have great safety and for the most part they don't take nearly as long to respond to an accident as NASCAR safety crews do. And the 1/4th of every race being ran under a yellow flag is another of my pet gripes. Half of those are to keep their stars from being lapped.

Ron

[Don]

Changes in F1 to reduce costs:

" The FIA World Motorsport Council agreed today in Monaco to introduce radical measures to reduce Formula One costs for the 2009 season. In-season testing is now banned completely, engine rules have been changed drastically, and aerodynamic development has been limited significantly, among the notable changes. "

" The FIA and teams estimate that the moves will reduce costs by 30 percent for manufacturer teams in 2009 while saving independent teams even more. A framework was also laid out for 2010 and beyond "

Article mentions a number of changes:

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20081212/FREE/812129990

[Ron61]

I see in the paper that NASCAR has lost their sponsor for the Watkins Glen Race. Quoting: " Watkins Glen needs a title sponsor for its NASCAR Sprint Cup Race after Centurian Boats opted out of the final year of its contract.
The boat company is trying to survive and can't afford to sponsor NASCAR any more at the present. And I think we will see more of this as they economy gets worse.

Ron

[Silverback51]

Originally Posted by Ron61

Bill,

I would just like to see them at least use real cars, not those that they designed which don't in any way resemble a production car. Then Ford, GM, & etc pay a fortune to have their names painted on them. I used to really follow NASCAR close but haven't for several years for a couple of reasons. One is I like road racing more and there is more of it being shown on TV. Two is so many of the NASCAR races are just high speed parades and the only way to pass is wreck someone or manage to get out ahead of them from the pits. I am all for safety but the Le Mans series and other road races also have great safety and for the most part they don't take nearly as long to respond to an accident as NASCAR safety crews do. And the 1/4th of every race being ran under a yellow flag is another of my pet gripes. Half of those are to keep their stars from being lapped.

Ron

The good old "mystery debris" caution.

[Wayne Maybury]

Originally Posted by Silverback51

The good old "mystery debris" caution.

Yep, a small piece of something that takes 10 minutes to clean up. I cannot understand why they can't run 1 lap under caution, get the piece of material off the track, and then immediately go back to green.

While we're at it, get rid of the most stupid rule in all of motor racing; the lucky dog rule. That rule brings NASCAR very close to the WWE.

Wayne

[tcrist]

The lucky dog rule should be the first car not on the lead lap behind the leader not the first car 1 lap down. Makes more sense to me.
JMO, Terry

[Joe Wicked]

I don't think it should be the first car period. I understand allowing something to get back on the lead lap since they took away racing back to the caution, but don't give it to someone. I say if you are within x seconds of the leader, then you get a lap back. If there are 3 cars in that distance, then all 3 get it back. An exception would be made for the first lap after a restart and at tracks where the restricter plate is used. Only the 1st car would get it as there is a lot of cars within that x number of seconds and always will be. If x seconds is 3 seconds, and the car 3 laps down is 2 seconds behind the leader on the track and the first car 1 lap down is 4 seconds, then the only car getting a lap is the one 3 laps down. Basically you have to be in a position to get a lap back under the old way if the leader slows down before getting back to the caution.

[Silverback51]

The "Lucky Dog Rule".

It's racing dammit, not a lottery.

[Don]

Source: Yahoo Sports:

Watkins Glen seeks sponsor for Cup race
Dec 12, 4:00 pm EST


" WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (AP)—Watkins Glen International needs a title sponsor for its NASCAR Sprint Cup race after Centurion Boats opted out of the final year of its contract.

Company officials said the decision was based on the downturn in the national economy. Centurion spokesman Les Clark said the company has cut production 50 percent and laid off half its work force at its North Carolina manufacturing facility.

“The economy is not going to make this easy. It is having an effect on our sport; it’s going to have an effect on our year. These are tough times,” Watkins Glen International president Craig Rust said Friday. “I don’t think we ever expected it to get this bad. I haven’t seen it this bad in sports from a sponsorship standpoint in a long time.”

The value of a Cup title sponsorship can exceed a million dollars, but Rust would not put a figure on the Watkins Glen race.

“A title sponsor is important, because it gives us a marketing partner to promote the race,” Rust said. “We’re working hard on it, but no matter what, it’s important for fans to know we’ll have a Sprint Cup race in 2009.”

Centurion Boats will continue to have a presence at Watkins Glen but in a reduced role, Rust said.

Rust said sponsors for the IRL’s Camping World Grand Prix in July, and the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen in June were intact. "

[Bill Bess]

I agree Ron about road racing, sadly all racing will be hurting in this economy with regards to sponsors.
Bill

[Bobcat]

I`ve been involved with racing most of my life and loved NASCAR back in the 60`s when it was if you lost , you went back and worked your butt off and came back next week . No whining .... you just worked and got faster. One of the big problems as I see it is that NASCAR became an entertainment venue where France couldn`t afford to have anyone run away as it didn`t make for a good show . Remember when Bill Elliott was held at Daytona for a lap when his new T Bird was running away with the race ?
I knew then that what France was doing would be the end of a sport I loved .... right now all you have are spec cars where NASCAR even dictates the spring rates the cars can run .
I ran sports cars back in the late 60`s and remember driving to VIR , taping the headlights up , racing and then driving home ( try explaining number circles on a car to a VA trooper ).... and was competitive !
SCCA also started to go the way of NASCAR and it got too expensive ... so I went to the local dirt tracks ... and had a ball !
Also , I remember when you could field a NASCAR team for about $5 to 6 mil and now they are at $20 m + . No wonder they are hurting .

[nevermind65]

I saw a Nascar truck race last summer. I'm not a Nascar fan, but this was the best race I've seen in years. Half the race was run under the yellow because there were accidents every 10 minutes. These guys were ruthless with each other. There wasn't a truck that finished that didn't look like it had been in a demolition derby. They were pushing each other into the wall, cutting each other off, and literally pushing the slower guy out of the way in front of them.

Helluva race! Nothing like the cars.