Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Larry Arnold and the Penetration Dodge Funny Car
Before Larry Arnold established himself as a top funny car driver, he chased the UDRA circuit with his radical Penetration Dodge Charger.
Dale Jarrett Blog: Ned Jarrett Hall of Fame Tribute
Dale Jarrett talks about his dad's recent induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame and having UPS and David Ragan honor Ned Jarrett at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
2011 Shaping Up As Worst Season Of Smoke?s Career
For Tony Stewart, Saturday night’s Cup race at Bristol was one to forget. �After qualifying a dismal 42nd, Stewart rode around in the back all night and finished 28th. �He was never higher than 28th on the leaderboard, and of the drivers that ran the entire race, Stewart had the seventh worst driver rating. �It [...]TheNASCARInsiders.com
Follow the Insiders on Twitter or be a fan on Facebook!
Follow the Insiders on Twitter or be a fan on Facebook!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
The Cruise Night is Back!
Hot Rod and Car Craft are hosting their monthly Cruise Night at the Automobile Driving Museum in El Segundo on Friday, August 25th from 5-8pm. Come join us for music, food trucks and, if the past two events were any indication, around 150 classics, late models, and hot rods. Check out the past galleries at [...]
Part Time Sponsorships: Band Aid or Brand Fade?
Remember when race cars were still called "specials" and always looked the same, every race, every season, according to what colors, personal obsessions and/or hand lettering styles the team owner, long time sponsor or the primary check writer's wife (or girlfriend) liked? They didn't know it at the time but those early team owners and sponsors were participating in the development of what the marketing folks now call 'Branding' -- something entirely different from the kind of branding that Rowdy Yates, Gordon Johncock and A.J. Foyt used to do to cows. A company's brand is its personality, image and reputation; it?s the consumer's perception of the company and its values. Using motorsports to promote a company brand has always been an efficient, reasonably cost-effective, but not inexpensive means of advertising. But as noted in The Right Stuff, "No bucks, no Buck Rogers." The current economy, still wheezing along as it tries to avoid hospice, has had a major impact on motorsports sponsorships and race teams have had to make equally major adjustments. Full season and especially multi-season sponsorships, which benefit and build the team and sponsor brands best, are becoming extinct. So to keep doing what they do, race teams are slicing up their primary sponsorship packages to allow more companies to benefit from NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and IZOD IndyCar Series brand building. That's why Cousin Carl, Juan Pablo, Kyle Busch and so many other NASCAR superstars now find themselves racing two, three, four or more different looking cars each season. Why Helio, Dario, Scott Dixon, etc. in IndyCar run different paint schemes at different races. Everyone from Roush Fenway, Andretti Autosports and Richard Childress to Team Penske, Hendrick Motorsports and Chip Ganassi have had to adopt the new break-it-up-and-sell-it-in-pieces model in order to keep their doors open and all their teams racing. Unfortunately the all-powerful branding value of primary sponsorship in racing, as a whole, is no longer the sum of its parts because partial race sponsorships mean diminished reach and frequency per sponsor. Partial sponsorships surrender and waste the opportunities for long term, loyalty over time relationships that come from default consumer connections. Exclusivity and its rewards are going away. The almost subconscious association between the consumer and a driver, team, primary sponsor and series, where a special paint scheme is part of the sponsor's branding strategy, not some other company's, is fading.
For instance: Matt Kenseth has been driving a No. 17 Ford for 11 years. From his rookie year through 2009, DeWalt Power Tools served as his team's primary sponsor and every partner's branding efforts benefitted. A successful, popular driver was associated with a strong team and a popular consumer product manufacturer and all three were presented to the consumer, week after week, with the same face, the same voice, the same 'look and feel' on the biggest stage in American racing.
DeWalt left after 2009 and the No. 17 car became the Crown Royal Ford. But just last week we found out that Crown Royal, Matt's "primary primary" sponsor is leaving at the end of this season. And this past Saturday night, when Kenseth pushed teammate David Ragan's No. 6 UPS Ford to the win at Daytona, the No. 17 was black instead of Royal Crown purple; the rear quarter panel displaying the name and logo of a company called Affliction Clothing -- even thought you won't find that name and logo on Roush Fenway's sponsor page at www.roushfenway.com yet. The brand partnership that was so strong for so many years has splintered. So as a result of rotating sponsorships and car colors and well-intentioned consumer promotions, primary motorsports sponsorship as a branding investment strategy is slowly being devalued. The No. 1 racing-related brand in history remains STP thanks mainly to its decades-long support of Richard Petty and the No. 43 car, and earlier support of the Novi, then turbine -powered, the Mario Andretti -driven Indy 500 race cars. Year after year, with relentless repetition, STP's hope-in-a-bottle message was exposed to a larger and larger audience because the marketing campaign didn't just help STP; it also helped NASCAR, Richard Petty, Andy Granatelli and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was the epitome of that old, 'a rising tide lift all boats' deal. And now, like the price of gas, motorsports sponsorship is in a recession -created slump that no one can really do anything about. Part-time sponsors are certainly better than no sponsors but there will be consequences to the realistic prognosis that season-long primary sponsorships will soon be the exception instead of the rule. For we-the-non-invested, part-time sponsorships will be fine and we'll hardly notice any difference between Jimmy Johnson in the always Lowe's -liveried car and Jeff Gordon and his No. 24 car that switches between DuPont, Pepsi and AARP paint schemes. We'll follow our favorite teams and drivers like always, barely aware of the rotating wraps. We won't really care that sometimes Carl Edwards's car and driving suit is green or red for Scott's or Ortho; or black, blue and green for Aflac or yellow and green for Subway or blue and white for Fastenal. But the corporate bean counters, media researchers and impressions junkies will care. Because slicing up a season long primary race car sponsorship makes it less of a branding bargain, not more. When the economy recovers, today's NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA, etc. teams may find that the selling prices of real, effective, build-your-brand, activate-like-crazy primary race car sponsorships won't come close to where they were before the recession. Too many get-what-you-sell-for partial sponsorships will have diluted the primary sponsorship ?brand?, changing the funding model forever. Let hope that works out for everyone.
Remember when race cars were still called "specials" and always looked the same, every race, every season, according to what colors, personal obsessions and/or hand lettering styles the team owner, long time sponsor or the primary check writer's wife (or girlfriend) liked? They didn't know it at the time but those early team owners and sponsors were participating in the development of what the marketing folks now call 'Branding' -- something entirely different from the kind of branding that Rowdy Yates, Gordon Johncock and A.J. Foyt used to do to cows. A company's brand is its personality, image and reputation; it?s the consumer's perception of the company and its values. Using motorsports to promote a company brand has always been an efficient, reasonably cost-effective, but not inexpensive means of advertising. But as noted in The Right Stuff, "No bucks, no Buck Rogers." The current economy, still wheezing along as it tries to avoid hospice, has had a major impact on motorsports sponsorships and race teams have had to make equally major adjustments. Full season and especially multi-season sponsorships, which benefit and build the team and sponsor brands best, are becoming extinct. So to keep doing what they do, race teams are slicing up their primary sponsorship packages to allow more companies to benefit from NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and IZOD IndyCar Series brand building. That's why Cousin Carl, Juan Pablo, Kyle Busch and so many other NASCAR superstars now find themselves racing two, three, four or more different looking cars each season. Why Helio, Dario, Scott Dixon, etc. in IndyCar run different paint schemes at different races. Everyone from Roush Fenway, Andretti Autosports and Richard Childress to Team Penske, Hendrick Motorsports and Chip Ganassi have had to adopt the new break-it-up-and-sell-it-in-pieces model in order to keep their doors open and all their teams racing. Unfortunately the all-powerful branding value of primary sponsorship in racing, as a whole, is no longer the sum of its parts because partial race sponsorships mean diminished reach and frequency per sponsor. Partial sponsorships surrender and waste the opportunities for long term, loyalty over time relationships that come from default consumer connections. Exclusivity and its rewards are going away. The almost subconscious association between the consumer and a driver, team, primary sponsor and series, where a special paint scheme is part of the sponsor's branding strategy, not some other company's, is fading. For instance: Matt Kenseth has been driving a No. 17 Ford for 11 years. From his rookie year through 2009, DeWalt Power Tools served as his team's primary sponsor and every partner's branding efforts benefitted. A successful, popular driver was associated with a strong team and a popular consumer product manufacturer and all three were presented to the consumer, week after week, with the same face, the same voice, the same 'look and feel' on the biggest stage in American racing. DeWalt left after 2009 and the No. 17 car became the Crown Royal Ford. But just last week we found out that Crown Royal, Matt's "primary primary" sponsor is leaving at the end of this season. And this past Saturday night, when Kenseth pushed teammate David Ragan's No. 6 UPS Ford to the win at Daytona, the No. 17 was black instead of Royal Crown purple; the rear quarter panel displaying the name and logo of a company called Affliction Clothing -- even thought you won't find that name and logo on Roush Fenway's sponsor page at www.roushfenway.com yet. The brand partnership that was so strong for so many years has splintered. So as a result of rotating sponsorships and car colors and well-intentioned consumer promotions, primary motorsports sponsorship as a branding investment strategy is slowly being devalued. The No. 1 racing-related brand in history remains STP thanks mainly to its decades-long support of Richard Petty and the No. 43 car, and earlier support of the Novi, then turbine -powered, the Mario Andretti -driven Indy 500 race cars. Year after year, with relentless repetition, STP's hope-in-a-bottle message was exposed to a larger and larger audience because the marketing campaign didn't just help STP; it also helped NASCAR, Richard Petty, Andy Granatelli and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was the epitome of that old, 'a rising tide lift all boats' deal. And now, like the price of gas, motorsports sponsorship is in a recession -created slump that no one can really do anything about. Part-time sponsors are certainly better than no sponsors but there will be consequences to the realistic prognosis that season-long primary sponsorships will soon be the exception instead of the rule. For we-the-non-invested, part-time sponsorships will be fine and we'll hardly notice any difference between Jimmy Johnson in the always Lowe's -liveried car and Jeff Gordon and his No. 24 car that switches between DuPont, Pepsi and AARP paint schemes. We'll follow our favorite teams and drivers like always, barely aware of the rotating wraps. We won't really care that sometimes Carl Edwards's car and driving suit is green or red for Scott's or Ortho; or black, blue and green for Aflac or yellow and green for Subway or blue and white for Fastenal. But the corporate bean counters, media researchers and impressions junkies will care. Because slicing up a season long primary race car sponsorship makes it less of a branding bargain, not more. When the economy recovers, today's NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA, etc. teams may find that the selling prices of real, effective, build-your-brand, activate-like-crazy primary race car sponsorships won't come close to where they were before the recession. Too many get-what-you-sell-for partial sponsorships will have diluted the primary sponsorship ?brand?, changing the funding model forever. Let hope that works out for everyone.
Remember when race cars were still called "specials" and always looked the same, every race, every season, according to what colors, personal obsessions and/or hand lettering styles the team owner, long time sponsor or the primary check writer's wife (or girlfriend) liked? They didn't know it at the time but those early team owners and sponsors were participating in the development of what the marketing folks now call 'Branding' -- something entirely different from the kind of branding that Rowdy Yates, Gordon Johncock and A.J. Foyt used to do to cows. A company's brand is its personality, image and reputation; it?s the consumer's perception of the company and its values. Using motorsports to promote a company brand has always been an efficient, reasonably cost-effective, but not inexpensive means of advertising. But as noted in The Right Stuff, "No bucks, no Buck Rogers." The current economy, still wheezing along as it tries to avoid hospice, has had a major impact on motorsports sponsorships and race teams have had to make equally major adjustments. Full season and especially multi-season sponsorships, which benefit and build the team and sponsor brands best, are becoming extinct. So to keep doing what they do, race teams are slicing up their primary sponsorship packages to allow more companies to benefit from NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and IZOD IndyCar Series brand building. That's why Cousin Carl, Juan Pablo, Kyle Busch and so many other NASCAR superstars now find themselves racing two, three, four or more different looking cars each season. Why Helio, Dario, Scott Dixon, etc. in IndyCar run different paint schemes at different races. Everyone from Roush Fenway, Andretti Autosports and Richard Childress to Team Penske, Hendrick Motorsports and Chip Ganassi have had to adopt the new break-it-up-and-sell-it-in-pieces model in order to keep their doors open and all their teams racing. Unfortunately the all-powerful branding value of primary sponsorship in racing, as a whole, is no longer the sum of its parts because partial race sponsorships mean diminished reach and frequency per sponsor. Partial sponsorships surrender and waste the opportunities for long term, loyalty over time relationships that come from default consumer connections. Exclusivity and its rewards are going away. The almost subconscious association between the consumer and a driver, team, primary sponsor and series, where a special paint scheme is part of the sponsor's branding strategy, not some other company's, is fading. For instance: Matt Kenseth has been driving a No. 17 Ford for 11 years. From his rookie year through 2009, DeWalt Power Tools served as his team's primary sponsor and every partner's branding efforts benefitted. A successful, popular driver was associated with a strong team and a popular consumer product manufacturer and all three were presented to the consumer, week after week, with the same face, the same voice, the same 'look and feel' on the biggest stage in American racing. DeWalt left after 2009 and the No. 17 car became the Crown Royal Ford. But just last week we found out that Crown Royal, Matt's "primary primary" sponsor is leaving at the end of this season. And this past Saturday night, when Kenseth pushed teammate David Ragan's No. 6 UPS Ford to the win at Daytona, the No. 17 was black instead of Royal Crown purple; the rear quarter panel displaying the name and logo of a company called Affliction Clothing -- even thought you won't find that name and logo on Roush Fenway's sponsor page at www.roushfenway.com yet. The brand partnership that was so strong for so many years has splintered. So as a result of rotating sponsorships and car colors and well-intentioned consumer promotions, primary motorsports sponsorship as a branding investment strategy is slowly being devalued. The No. 1 racing-related brand in history remains STP thanks mainly to its decades-long support of Richard Petty and the No. 43 car, and earlier support of the Novi, then turbine -powered, the Mario Andretti -driven Indy 500 race cars. Year after year, with relentless repetition, STP's hope-in-a-bottle message was exposed to a larger and larger audience because the marketing campaign didn't just help STP; it also helped NASCAR, Richard Petty, Andy Granatelli and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was the epitome of that old, 'a rising tide lift all boats' deal. And now, like the price of gas, motorsports sponsorship is in a recession -created slump that no one can really do anything about. Part-time sponsors are certainly better than no sponsors but there will be consequences to the realistic prognosis that season-long primary sponsorships will soon be the exception instead of the rule. For we-the-non-invested, part-time sponsorships will be fine and we'll hardly notice any difference between Jimmy Johnson in the always Lowe's -liveried car and Jeff Gordon and his No. 24 car that switches between DuPont, Pepsi and AARP paint schemes. We'll follow our favorite teams and drivers like always, barely aware of the rotating wraps. We won't really care that sometimes Carl Edwards's car and driving suit is green or red for Scott's or Ortho; or black, blue and green for Aflac or yellow and green for Subway or blue and white for Fastenal. But the corporate bean counters, media researchers and impressions junkies will care. Because slicing up a season long primary race car sponsorship makes it less of a branding bargain, not more. When the economy recovers, today's NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA, etc. teams may find that the selling prices of real, effective, build-your-brand, activate-like-crazy primary race car sponsorships won't come close to where they were before the recession. Too many get-what-you-sell-for partial sponsorships will have diluted the primary sponsorship ?brand?, changing the funding model forever. Let hope that works out for everyone.
For instance: Matt Kenseth has been driving a No. 17 Ford for 11 years. From his rookie year through 2009, DeWalt Power Tools served as his team's primary sponsor and every partner's branding efforts benefitted. A successful, popular driver was associated with a strong team and a popular consumer product manufacturer and all three were presented to the consumer, week after week, with the same face, the same voice, the same 'look and feel' on the biggest stage in American racing.
DeWalt left after 2009 and the No. 17 car became the Crown Royal Ford. But just last week we found out that Crown Royal, Matt's "primary primary" sponsor is leaving at the end of this season. And this past Saturday night, when Kenseth pushed teammate David Ragan's No. 6 UPS Ford to the win at Daytona, the No. 17 was black instead of Royal Crown purple; the rear quarter panel displaying the name and logo of a company called Affliction Clothing -- even thought you won't find that name and logo on Roush Fenway's sponsor page at www.roushfenway.com yet. The brand partnership that was so strong for so many years has splintered. So as a result of rotating sponsorships and car colors and well-intentioned consumer promotions, primary motorsports sponsorship as a branding investment strategy is slowly being devalued. The No. 1 racing-related brand in history remains STP thanks mainly to its decades-long support of Richard Petty and the No. 43 car, and earlier support of the Novi, then turbine -powered, the Mario Andretti -driven Indy 500 race cars. Year after year, with relentless repetition, STP's hope-in-a-bottle message was exposed to a larger and larger audience because the marketing campaign didn't just help STP; it also helped NASCAR, Richard Petty, Andy Granatelli and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was the epitome of that old, 'a rising tide lift all boats' deal. And now, like the price of gas, motorsports sponsorship is in a recession -created slump that no one can really do anything about. Part-time sponsors are certainly better than no sponsors but there will be consequences to the realistic prognosis that season-long primary sponsorships will soon be the exception instead of the rule. For we-the-non-invested, part-time sponsorships will be fine and we'll hardly notice any difference between Jimmy Johnson in the always Lowe's -liveried car and Jeff Gordon and his No. 24 car that switches between DuPont, Pepsi and AARP paint schemes. We'll follow our favorite teams and drivers like always, barely aware of the rotating wraps. We won't really care that sometimes Carl Edwards's car and driving suit is green or red for Scott's or Ortho; or black, blue and green for Aflac or yellow and green for Subway or blue and white for Fastenal. But the corporate bean counters, media researchers and impressions junkies will care. Because slicing up a season long primary race car sponsorship makes it less of a branding bargain, not more. When the economy recovers, today's NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA, etc. teams may find that the selling prices of real, effective, build-your-brand, activate-like-crazy primary race car sponsorships won't come close to where they were before the recession. Too many get-what-you-sell-for partial sponsorships will have diluted the primary sponsorship ?brand?, changing the funding model forever. Let hope that works out for everyone.
Remember when race cars were still called "specials" and always looked the same, every race, every season, according to what colors, personal obsessions and/or hand lettering styles the team owner, long time sponsor or the primary check writer's wife (or girlfriend) liked? They didn't know it at the time but those early team owners and sponsors were participating in the development of what the marketing folks now call 'Branding' -- something entirely different from the kind of branding that Rowdy Yates, Gordon Johncock and A.J. Foyt used to do to cows. A company's brand is its personality, image and reputation; it?s the consumer's perception of the company and its values. Using motorsports to promote a company brand has always been an efficient, reasonably cost-effective, but not inexpensive means of advertising. But as noted in The Right Stuff, "No bucks, no Buck Rogers." The current economy, still wheezing along as it tries to avoid hospice, has had a major impact on motorsports sponsorships and race teams have had to make equally major adjustments. Full season and especially multi-season sponsorships, which benefit and build the team and sponsor brands best, are becoming extinct. So to keep doing what they do, race teams are slicing up their primary sponsorship packages to allow more companies to benefit from NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and IZOD IndyCar Series brand building. That's why Cousin Carl, Juan Pablo, Kyle Busch and so many other NASCAR superstars now find themselves racing two, three, four or more different looking cars each season. Why Helio, Dario, Scott Dixon, etc. in IndyCar run different paint schemes at different races. Everyone from Roush Fenway, Andretti Autosports and Richard Childress to Team Penske, Hendrick Motorsports and Chip Ganassi have had to adopt the new break-it-up-and-sell-it-in-pieces model in order to keep their doors open and all their teams racing. Unfortunately the all-powerful branding value of primary sponsorship in racing, as a whole, is no longer the sum of its parts because partial race sponsorships mean diminished reach and frequency per sponsor. Partial sponsorships surrender and waste the opportunities for long term, loyalty over time relationships that come from default consumer connections. Exclusivity and its rewards are going away. The almost subconscious association between the consumer and a driver, team, primary sponsor and series, where a special paint scheme is part of the sponsor's branding strategy, not some other company's, is fading. For instance: Matt Kenseth has been driving a No. 17 Ford for 11 years. From his rookie year through 2009, DeWalt Power Tools served as his team's primary sponsor and every partner's branding efforts benefitted. A successful, popular driver was associated with a strong team and a popular consumer product manufacturer and all three were presented to the consumer, week after week, with the same face, the same voice, the same 'look and feel' on the biggest stage in American racing. DeWalt left after 2009 and the No. 17 car became the Crown Royal Ford. But just last week we found out that Crown Royal, Matt's "primary primary" sponsor is leaving at the end of this season. And this past Saturday night, when Kenseth pushed teammate David Ragan's No. 6 UPS Ford to the win at Daytona, the No. 17 was black instead of Royal Crown purple; the rear quarter panel displaying the name and logo of a company called Affliction Clothing -- even thought you won't find that name and logo on Roush Fenway's sponsor page at www.roushfenway.com yet. The brand partnership that was so strong for so many years has splintered. So as a result of rotating sponsorships and car colors and well-intentioned consumer promotions, primary motorsports sponsorship as a branding investment strategy is slowly being devalued. The No. 1 racing-related brand in history remains STP thanks mainly to its decades-long support of Richard Petty and the No. 43 car, and earlier support of the Novi, then turbine -powered, the Mario Andretti -driven Indy 500 race cars. Year after year, with relentless repetition, STP's hope-in-a-bottle message was exposed to a larger and larger audience because the marketing campaign didn't just help STP; it also helped NASCAR, Richard Petty, Andy Granatelli and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was the epitome of that old, 'a rising tide lift all boats' deal. And now, like the price of gas, motorsports sponsorship is in a recession -created slump that no one can really do anything about. Part-time sponsors are certainly better than no sponsors but there will be consequences to the realistic prognosis that season-long primary sponsorships will soon be the exception instead of the rule. For we-the-non-invested, part-time sponsorships will be fine and we'll hardly notice any difference between Jimmy Johnson in the always Lowe's -liveried car and Jeff Gordon and his No. 24 car that switches between DuPont, Pepsi and AARP paint schemes. We'll follow our favorite teams and drivers like always, barely aware of the rotating wraps. We won't really care that sometimes Carl Edwards's car and driving suit is green or red for Scott's or Ortho; or black, blue and green for Aflac or yellow and green for Subway or blue and white for Fastenal. But the corporate bean counters, media researchers and impressions junkies will care. Because slicing up a season long primary race car sponsorship makes it less of a branding bargain, not more. When the economy recovers, today's NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA, etc. teams may find that the selling prices of real, effective, build-your-brand, activate-like-crazy primary race car sponsorships won't come close to where they were before the recession. Too many get-what-you-sell-for partial sponsorships will have diluted the primary sponsorship ?brand?, changing the funding model forever. Let hope that works out for everyone.
Remember when race cars were still called "specials" and always looked the same, every race, every season, according to what colors, personal obsessions and/or hand lettering styles the team owner, long time sponsor or the primary check writer's wife (or girlfriend) liked? They didn't know it at the time but those early team owners and sponsors were participating in the development of what the marketing folks now call 'Branding' -- something entirely different from the kind of branding that Rowdy Yates, Gordon Johncock and A.J. Foyt used to do to cows. A company's brand is its personality, image and reputation; it?s the consumer's perception of the company and its values. Using motorsports to promote a company brand has always been an efficient, reasonably cost-effective, but not inexpensive means of advertising. But as noted in The Right Stuff, "No bucks, no Buck Rogers." The current economy, still wheezing along as it tries to avoid hospice, has had a major impact on motorsports sponsorships and race teams have had to make equally major adjustments. Full season and especially multi-season sponsorships, which benefit and build the team and sponsor brands best, are becoming extinct. So to keep doing what they do, race teams are slicing up their primary sponsorship packages to allow more companies to benefit from NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and IZOD IndyCar Series brand building. That's why Cousin Carl, Juan Pablo, Kyle Busch and so many other NASCAR superstars now find themselves racing two, three, four or more different looking cars each season. Why Helio, Dario, Scott Dixon, etc. in IndyCar run different paint schemes at different races. Everyone from Roush Fenway, Andretti Autosports and Richard Childress to Team Penske, Hendrick Motorsports and Chip Ganassi have had to adopt the new break-it-up-and-sell-it-in-pieces model in order to keep their doors open and all their teams racing. Unfortunately the all-powerful branding value of primary sponsorship in racing, as a whole, is no longer the sum of its parts because partial race sponsorships mean diminished reach and frequency per sponsor. Partial sponsorships surrender and waste the opportunities for long term, loyalty over time relationships that come from default consumer connections. Exclusivity and its rewards are going away. The almost subconscious association between the consumer and a driver, team, primary sponsor and series, where a special paint scheme is part of the sponsor's branding strategy, not some other company's, is fading. For instance: Matt Kenseth has been driving a No. 17 Ford for 11 years. From his rookie year through 2009, DeWalt Power Tools served as his team's primary sponsor and every partner's branding efforts benefitted. A successful, popular driver was associated with a strong team and a popular consumer product manufacturer and all three were presented to the consumer, week after week, with the same face, the same voice, the same 'look and feel' on the biggest stage in American racing. DeWalt left after 2009 and the No. 17 car became the Crown Royal Ford. But just last week we found out that Crown Royal, Matt's "primary primary" sponsor is leaving at the end of this season. And this past Saturday night, when Kenseth pushed teammate David Ragan's No. 6 UPS Ford to the win at Daytona, the No. 17 was black instead of Royal Crown purple; the rear quarter panel displaying the name and logo of a company called Affliction Clothing -- even thought you won't find that name and logo on Roush Fenway's sponsor page at www.roushfenway.com yet. The brand partnership that was so strong for so many years has splintered. So as a result of rotating sponsorships and car colors and well-intentioned consumer promotions, primary motorsports sponsorship as a branding investment strategy is slowly being devalued. The No. 1 racing-related brand in history remains STP thanks mainly to its decades-long support of Richard Petty and the No. 43 car, and earlier support of the Novi, then turbine -powered, the Mario Andretti -driven Indy 500 race cars. Year after year, with relentless repetition, STP's hope-in-a-bottle message was exposed to a larger and larger audience because the marketing campaign didn't just help STP; it also helped NASCAR, Richard Petty, Andy Granatelli and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was the epitome of that old, 'a rising tide lift all boats' deal. And now, like the price of gas, motorsports sponsorship is in a recession -created slump that no one can really do anything about. Part-time sponsors are certainly better than no sponsors but there will be consequences to the realistic prognosis that season-long primary sponsorships will soon be the exception instead of the rule. For we-the-non-invested, part-time sponsorships will be fine and we'll hardly notice any difference between Jimmy Johnson in the always Lowe's -liveried car and Jeff Gordon and his No. 24 car that switches between DuPont, Pepsi and AARP paint schemes. We'll follow our favorite teams and drivers like always, barely aware of the rotating wraps. We won't really care that sometimes Carl Edwards's car and driving suit is green or red for Scott's or Ortho; or black, blue and green for Aflac or yellow and green for Subway or blue and white for Fastenal. But the corporate bean counters, media researchers and impressions junkies will care. Because slicing up a season long primary race car sponsorship makes it less of a branding bargain, not more. When the economy recovers, today's NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA, etc. teams may find that the selling prices of real, effective, build-your-brand, activate-like-crazy primary race car sponsorships won't come close to where they were before the recession. Too many get-what-you-sell-for partial sponsorships will have diluted the primary sponsorship ?brand?, changing the funding model forever. Let hope that works out for everyone.
Ragan Finishes 28th in Watkins Glen; Walks Away from Violent Crash
David Ragan and the UPS team started 16th and finished 28th at Watkins Glen International on Monday
Monday, August 29, 2011
Ragan Finishes 14th in Loudon; Moves up to 13th in Points
David Ragan and the UPS team fought hard at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to finish 14th. This is David's best finish at the New England track and he moves up to 13th in points
Car Care And Diagnostics ? The Sound [Part 2]
It is a good idea to learn more about how to care your vehicle. It will allow a person to stay alert if some unscrupulous mechanic tries to gouge on your repairs. It stops a person from unnecessary repairs and saves your money. Also, it helps to locate a problem and fix it early. We [...]
David?s Blog: Visit to Roush Museum Before MIS
David Ragan made a stop at the Roush Museum before heading over to Michigan International Speedway
2011 Watkins Glen Ragan and Reutimann HARD crash
David Ragan ad David Reutimann crash hard at Watkins Glen 2011 NSCS race. Marcos Ambrose wins, under the green white checkered. addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nascarpitstopblog.com%2Fnascar-racing%2F2011-watkins-glen-ragan-and-reutimann-hard-crash'; addthis_title = '2011+Watkins+Glen+Ragan+and+Reutimann+HARD+crash'; addthis_pub = ''; Technorati Tags: 2011, crash, glen, Hard, Ragan, Reutimann, watkins
Replacing And Correcting Auto Fuses By Your Self
The people who drive their vehicle regularly are well aware of the term fuse. As the name indicates, fuse is a key part of your car?s electronic system. This is a small equipment that blows or fuses when something in your car goes wrong. The fuse can be replaced when it stops working. The fuse [...]
Car Care And Diagnostics- The Smell [Part 3]
It is a good idea to learn more about how to care your vehicle. It will allow a person to stay alert if some unscrupulous mechanic tries to gouge on your repairs. It stops a person from unnecessary repairs and saves your money. Also, it helps to locate a problem and fix it early. We [...]
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Neff Brings Ford 200th Funny Car Win, But Legendary Cars Helped Get to That Number
Last weekend at Chicago's Route 66 Raceway, John Force Racing's Mike Neff beat Jeff Arend to win his third Funny Car Wally of the season and extend his championship points lead in the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series.
The win also marked the 200th NHRA Funny Car championship trophy for Ford Motor Company, most of which have come from teams running Mustang bodywork and most of those from Force or one of his team cars.
It took almost 35 years for Ford to reach this milestone, a journey started in 1967 when Tommy Grove drove his '66 Mustang to the ponycar's first victory at Bristol. If memory serves, Grove's car represented the last page of the Funny Car chapter that covered fuel-injected engines, altered wheelbases, swiss-cheesed chassis and acid-dipped stock bodies with doors that still opened.
Then came flop-top, one-piece bodies, purpose-built tube chassis and full subservience to the aero gods; an action that has now resulted in all the cars shaped basically the same with brand identity almost completely dependent upon decals.
No wonder nostalgia Funny Car racing is so popular now.
I wish I was a big wig at Ford or one of their advertising agencies with a carte blanche budget, tasked with putting together some kind of traveling road show and PR campaign to celebrate Ford's 200th NHRA win and promote the Blue Oval brand.
I'd start with an exhibit featuring the old A/FX cars like Hubert Platt's '64 Falcon and Bill Lawton's Tasca Ford Mustang. Then I'd hunt down (or replicate, because money is no object, remember?) Doug Nash's 'Bronco Buster' 289 V8-powered Funny Car, notable because it sported a pickup truck body and an aluminum frame -- both of which were promptly outlawed by the NHRA in 1967.
Also included: Paula Murphy's Miss STP '66 Mustang. Murphy is arguably the first female Funny Car driver to make a living in the sport, mostly from match racing, and while neither she nor her car ever won a national event, the same will apply to a lot of the Ford Funny Cars I remember so fondly; mainly because they were so different.
Like Larry Coleman's 1968 "Super Torino." If you don't remember the Torino, think of the mid-sixties Ford Fairlane with a thyroid problem. This was one of the biggest, widest Funny Cars of all time and it wasn't the only one; Phil Bonner and Ted DeTar also raced Ford 427 SOHC -powered Torino?s.
Gas Ronda was a popular So Cal A/FX racer who became famous behind the wheel of his Russ Davis Ford Mustangs. After switching to a flopper, he was seriously burned from an engine explosion during a practice run at the 1970 AHRA Winternationals at Beeline Dragway in Scottsdale, AZ. I was there that day and witnessed the disaster, having already run out of film for my trusty Bell & Howell Super 8 movie camera. I've never regretted that.
Hot rodding legend, Bonneville land speed record holder, and Indy car pioneer Mickey Thompson was the biggest name in racing when he tabbed Pat Foster to build two 1969 Ford Mustangs, one red and one blue, that essentially set the standard for Funny Car engineering and forever changed the state of the sport's art. Danny Ongais dominated in the blue car, Foster and others raced the red car, and later Thompson built and raced a titanium chassied Pinto, a Maverick and finally a monocoque Mustang.
Gary Burgin's Mustang II Funny Car was the only one to defeat Don Prudhomme in 1976 national events, Kenny Bernstein raced a Ford Tempo to a couple of championships starting in 1985 and Mark Oswald drove both Probes and Thunderbirds for Candies & Hughes and Motorcraft. Whit Bazemore won six trophies in his then politically acceptable Winston cigarettes -sponsored Mustang, Larry Fullerton and his Trojan Horse Mustang gave Ford its first World Championship in 1972.
Then there's the famous Blue Max Mustang, currently owned and occasionally campaigned by NHRA Top Fuel driver Del Worsham. The Blue Max started out as a Mustang but also wore Plymouth and Pontiac bodywork. Owned by Harry Schmidt and campaigned and driven by Raymond Beadle, the Blue Max was the most popular Funny Car in drag racing history during its heyday.
Mike Neff giving Ford its 200th win is plenty impressive, but no more so than the collection of all the cars, builders, tuners, drivers and stories that brought them there.
Sadly, I am not a big wig (or even a small rug) at Ford, so I won't be sending out those feelers to start hunting down old Ford Funny Cars or checking with the NHRA to see about getting this project together for 2012 -- when Ford might be celebrating its latest championship from one of the Force Mustangs.
As a passionate race fan I would love to see Ford's rich NHRA history celebrated and shared via an interactive tour, exhibition runs at NHRA events, dealer appearances, wall calendars, collectibles, coffee table books, posters, hats, t-shirts and other promotional goodies. You know, the way they did things back in the excessive mid-sixties, when Ford was actively involved in all things racing and loved spending money to advertise its success. Ah, those were the days.
As a realist, though, I know that kind of massive, multi-legged PR and marketing effort is now a budgetary pipe dream. Funding for such things went the way of three martini lunches and tobacco testimonials from doctors a long time ago.
So I'd just settle for a good website.
What do you think? Is 200 Funny Car wins worth a new Ford Racing website that documents each victory, each advance and more?
Read More of Bill Tybur at his website: https://fmfl.net
The win also marked the 200th NHRA Funny Car championship trophy for Ford Motor Company, most of which have come from teams running Mustang bodywork and most of those from Force or one of his team cars.
It took almost 35 years for Ford to reach this milestone, a journey started in 1967 when Tommy Grove drove his '66 Mustang to the ponycar's first victory at Bristol. If memory serves, Grove's car represented the last page of the Funny Car chapter that covered fuel-injected engines, altered wheelbases, swiss-cheesed chassis and acid-dipped stock bodies with doors that still opened.
Then came flop-top, one-piece bodies, purpose-built tube chassis and full subservience to the aero gods; an action that has now resulted in all the cars shaped basically the same with brand identity almost completely dependent upon decals.
No wonder nostalgia Funny Car racing is so popular now.
I wish I was a big wig at Ford or one of their advertising agencies with a carte blanche budget, tasked with putting together some kind of traveling road show and PR campaign to celebrate Ford's 200th NHRA win and promote the Blue Oval brand.
I'd start with an exhibit featuring the old A/FX cars like Hubert Platt's '64 Falcon and Bill Lawton's Tasca Ford Mustang. Then I'd hunt down (or replicate, because money is no object, remember?) Doug Nash's 'Bronco Buster' 289 V8-powered Funny Car, notable because it sported a pickup truck body and an aluminum frame -- both of which were promptly outlawed by the NHRA in 1967.
Also included: Paula Murphy's Miss STP '66 Mustang. Murphy is arguably the first female Funny Car driver to make a living in the sport, mostly from match racing, and while neither she nor her car ever won a national event, the same will apply to a lot of the Ford Funny Cars I remember so fondly; mainly because they were so different.
Like Larry Coleman's 1968 "Super Torino." If you don't remember the Torino, think of the mid-sixties Ford Fairlane with a thyroid problem. This was one of the biggest, widest Funny Cars of all time and it wasn't the only one; Phil Bonner and Ted DeTar also raced Ford 427 SOHC -powered Torino?s.
Gas Ronda was a popular So Cal A/FX racer who became famous behind the wheel of his Russ Davis Ford Mustangs. After switching to a flopper, he was seriously burned from an engine explosion during a practice run at the 1970 AHRA Winternationals at Beeline Dragway in Scottsdale, AZ. I was there that day and witnessed the disaster, having already run out of film for my trusty Bell & Howell Super 8 movie camera. I've never regretted that.
Hot rodding legend, Bonneville land speed record holder, and Indy car pioneer Mickey Thompson was the biggest name in racing when he tabbed Pat Foster to build two 1969 Ford Mustangs, one red and one blue, that essentially set the standard for Funny Car engineering and forever changed the state of the sport's art. Danny Ongais dominated in the blue car, Foster and others raced the red car, and later Thompson built and raced a titanium chassied Pinto, a Maverick and finally a monocoque Mustang.
Gary Burgin's Mustang II Funny Car was the only one to defeat Don Prudhomme in 1976 national events, Kenny Bernstein raced a Ford Tempo to a couple of championships starting in 1985 and Mark Oswald drove both Probes and Thunderbirds for Candies & Hughes and Motorcraft. Whit Bazemore won six trophies in his then politically acceptable Winston cigarettes -sponsored Mustang, Larry Fullerton and his Trojan Horse Mustang gave Ford its first World Championship in 1972.
Then there's the famous Blue Max Mustang, currently owned and occasionally campaigned by NHRA Top Fuel driver Del Worsham. The Blue Max started out as a Mustang but also wore Plymouth and Pontiac bodywork. Owned by Harry Schmidt and campaigned and driven by Raymond Beadle, the Blue Max was the most popular Funny Car in drag racing history during its heyday.
Mike Neff giving Ford its 200th win is plenty impressive, but no more so than the collection of all the cars, builders, tuners, drivers and stories that brought them there.
Sadly, I am not a big wig (or even a small rug) at Ford, so I won't be sending out those feelers to start hunting down old Ford Funny Cars or checking with the NHRA to see about getting this project together for 2012 -- when Ford might be celebrating its latest championship from one of the Force Mustangs.
As a passionate race fan I would love to see Ford's rich NHRA history celebrated and shared via an interactive tour, exhibition runs at NHRA events, dealer appearances, wall calendars, collectibles, coffee table books, posters, hats, t-shirts and other promotional goodies. You know, the way they did things back in the excessive mid-sixties, when Ford was actively involved in all things racing and loved spending money to advertise its success. Ah, those were the days.
As a realist, though, I know that kind of massive, multi-legged PR and marketing effort is now a budgetary pipe dream. Funding for such things went the way of three martini lunches and tobacco testimonials from doctors a long time ago.
So I'd just settle for a good website.
What do you think? Is 200 Funny Car wins worth a new Ford Racing website that documents each victory, each advance and more?
Read More of Bill Tybur at his website: https://fmfl.net
Formula 1 KHP Consultant Learns Austin?s Influence
A few weeks ago, I received an interesting request to be interviewed regarding my thoughts on Formula 1 in Texas.� This contact came via LinkedIn from KHP Consultant to Formula 1, Michael Cox. He asked: “I see that you’re a fellow F1 enthusiast.� I’ve scheduled a trip to Texas in August to meet with F1 [...]
Formula 1 KHP Consultant Learns Austin?s Influence
A few weeks ago, I received an interesting request to be interviewed regarding my thoughts on Formula 1 in Texas.� This contact came via LinkedIn from KHP Consultant to Formula 1, Michael Cox. He asked: “I see that you’re a fellow F1 enthusiast.� I’ve scheduled a trip to Texas in August to meet with F1 [...]
Ask The Insiders Wednesday #139
Thanks to a Monday Cup race, it’s a short week! �The Nationwide haulers are already en route to Montreal, and the Cup and Truck Series are taking on Michigan. �And since it’s Wednesday, we’ve got the 139th edition of ATIW. �If you don?t know what this post is,�we�answer any and all reader questions every Wednesday, [...]TheNASCARInsiders.com
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Follow the Insiders on Twitter or be a fan on Facebook!
PMI and Roush Yates Form Alliance
Performance Motorsports Incorporated (PMI) and Roush Yates announced today a newly formed technical alliance that will focus on product development in national and international markets. The announcement was made during...
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Car Care And Diagnostics- The Smell [Part 3]
It is a good idea to learn more about how to care your vehicle. It will allow a person to stay alert if some unscrupulous mechanic tries to gouge on your repairs. It stops a person from unnecessary repairs and saves your money. Also, it helps to locate a problem and fix it early. We [...]
Tough Ending in Indy; Ragan Finishes 23rd
The UPS team brought the field to green in a special UPS/NASCAR Hall of Fame tribute car and finished 23rd after a sweltering race in Indy
Is The Future Of Clint Bowyer Brown?
With the biggest free agent of 2011 now off the market, the focus has shifted to what the future holds for Clint Bowyer. �Within the last day we’ve seen Reid Spencer speculate on a possible move by Bowyer to Joe Gibbs Racing, and SI’s Tim Tuttle suggest JGR, Michael Waltrip Racing, Richard Petty Motorsports, and [...]TheNASCARInsiders.com
Follow the Insiders on Twitter or be a fan on Facebook!
Follow the Insiders on Twitter or be a fan on Facebook!
Friday, August 26, 2011
Barrable Returns to IRC
Robert Barrable winner of the Motorsport Ireland Billy Coleman award supported by the Irish Sports Council, in his Skoda Fabia S2000 with co-driver Damien Connolly alongside head to this weekend?s Barum Rally Zlin hoping to build on their success on the Ypres Rally earlier this year. Robert and Damien have not competed in the Skoda [...]
Richard Petty's Driver Search is On
If you are an aspiring racer looking to develop your skills and advance your career, Richard Petty’s Driver Search is the program for you.
Tony Stewart Misses Out Again
Once again Mother Nature conspired to keep Tony Stewart out of victory lane...
This Week in the NASCAR Blogosphere
By the end of the race at Lowe’s Motorspeedway the Chase will be half over. When the heck did that happen? I don’t know. Last weekend’s race at Talladega provided Tony Stewart with his first win of the season, his first win there in a sprint cup car and ended his 43 race winless streak. [...]
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Richard Petty's Driver Search is On
If you are an aspiring racer looking to develop your skills and advance your career, Richard Petty’s Driver Search is the program for you.
David?s Blog: Headed West for Road Course Racing
David Ragan and the UPS team head out to Infineon Raceway for this weekend's road course race
Miller to Unveil Revolutionary TIG Welder at 2008 SEMA Show
Get hands-on experience and expert demonstrations of MIG welding, TIG welding and plasma cutting. Test Miller TIG and MIG welders that make it easier to learn to weldperfect for enthusiast-level motorsports applications.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Hamlin needs his swagger back
CHARLOTTE, N.C. ? (AP) ? After yet another bad day at work, Denny Hamlin received a pick-me-up via text message from one of his newest friends. View full post on NBCSports.com: NASCAR / Motors addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nascarpitstopblog.com%2Fnascar-racing%2Fhamlin-needs-his-swagger-back'; addthis_title = 'Hamlin+needs+his+swagger+back'; addthis_pub = ''; Technorati Tags: Back, Hamlin, Needs, Swagger
I?m Racin? In The Rain! Just Racin? In The Rain!
Cue Gene Kelly singing a slightly different tune. It took us 22 weeks, but we finally had our first rain out of the season after a close call at Pocono. This of course moves the race to Monday on ESPN – a notably smaller audience and reach. In recent years this wouldn’t have been a [...]TheNASCARInsiders.com
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Follow the Insiders on Twitter or be a fan on Facebook!
Possible Austin F1 USGP Date Change Pending
Here’s hot & welcome news excerpts just off the press from autosport.com: 2012 Formula 1 Calendar Set for Major Overhaul By Jonathan Noble Although the FIA published its version of the 2012 schedule at its most recent meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council last month, it is understood that Ecclestone has undertaken a [...]
The Turk/Freiburger Camaro?s New Nemesis?
If you haven’t been following the saga of the ’80 Camaro that Keith and Tonya Turk have been working on with Hot Rod Editor-in-Chief David Freiburger on our Facebook page, here’s the summary. Freiburger and Finnegan re-gapped the rings on a 491 big-block Chevy, added about 9 pounds of boost, and made a hair under [...]
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Ford Performance Parts 624HP Supercharger DYNO RUN at Woodward Dream Cruise
Hanging out with Larry Ferrin from FORD Performance Parts at the 2011 Woodward Dream Cruise in Mustang Alley and we play with their 624HP Ford Performance Supercharger that runs 11.3′s at 138mph from the parts counter. CLICK TO WATCH VIDEO HERE
Larry Arnold and the Penetration Dodge Funny Car
Before Larry Arnold established himself as a top funny car driver, he chased the UDRA circuit with his radical Penetration Dodge Charger.
Limelight Dodge: the Jack-Knife Funny Car
The front clip tilted forward, gasser style. The rest of the Limelight's body however, was hinged at the rear and could be titlted up like a typical funny car.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Enjuku Racing heads to Atlanta!
Florida really made a big showing at Atlanta last weekend.
Jeff Frontcakas took 1st, Chris Ward took 2nd, and our driver Patrick Goodin took 3rd.
Way to go Florida!
All photos by: Kayla Montgomery
Jeff Frontcakas took 1st, Chris Ward took 2nd, and our driver Patrick Goodin took 3rd.
Way to go Florida!
All photos by: Kayla Montgomery
Enjuku Racing heads to Atlanta!
Florida really made a big showing at Atlanta last weekend.
Jeff Frontcakas took 1st, Chris Ward took 2nd, and our driver Patrick Goodin took 3rd.
Way to go Florida!
All photos by: Kayla Montgomery
Jeff Frontcakas took 1st, Chris Ward took 2nd, and our driver Patrick Goodin took 3rd.
Way to go Florida!
All photos by: Kayla Montgomery
For Nascar Fans
If your a true Nascar fan u will like this… addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nascarpitstopblog.com%2Fnascar-fans%2Ffor-nascar-fans'; addthis_title = 'For+Nascar+Fans'; addthis_pub = ''; Technorati Tags: fans, nascar
Biffle takes pole for Michigan Sprint Cup race
Greg Biffle is still annoyed with Boris Said after their run-in at Watkins Glen. View full post on NBCSports.com: NASCAR / Motors addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nascarpitstopblog.com%2Fnascar-racing%2Fbiffle-takes-pole-for-michigan-sprint-cup-race'; addthis_title = 'Biffle+takes+pole+for+Michigan+Sprint+Cup+race'; addthis_pub = ''; Technorati Tags: Biffle, Michigan, pole, race, sprint, Takes
This Week in the NASCAR Blogosphere
By the end of the race at Lowe’s Motorspeedway the Chase will be half over. When the heck did that happen? I don’t know. Last weekend’s race at Talladega provided Tony Stewart with his first win of the season, his first win there in a sprint cup car and ended his 43 race winless streak. [...]
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Kurt, Kyle and 23 Wins
Among the milestones NASCAR is approaching this year is one that may not be on your radar – 26-year-old Kyle Busch is just one win away from matching his 32-year-old brother’s win record. The two brothers had equally meteoric rises through the NASCAR ranks, beginning at Roush Racing. Kurt in 2000 and Kyle, at age [...]TheNASCARInsiders.com
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Follow the Insiders on Twitter or be a fan on Facebook!
Own Kyle Petty's '06 Victory Bike and Ride Across the US
A special online auction give you the chance to own Kyle Petty's 2006 Victory motorcycle and join Kyle on the 2009 Ride Across America. But hurry, the auction runs July 15-25, 2008. All proceeds benefit two extremely...
Knowing About Recalls
People usually do not respond to the recalls because they do not have proper knowledge about the process involved in recalls. It is the responsibility of NHTSA National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, to highlight the complaints and problems faced by the customers regarding to their vehicles. If so many similar complaints are launched about [...]
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Danica Patrick crash 2011 Scotts EZ Seed at Bristol Speedway
Danica Patrick Crash – 2011 Scotts EZ Seed at Bristol Speedway en.wikipedia.org www.danicaracing.com twitter.com www.nascar.com addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nascarpitstopblog.com%2Fnascar-drivers%2Fdanica-patrick-crash-2011-scotts-ez-seed-at-bristol-speedway'; addthis_title = 'Danica+Patrick+crash+2011+Scotts+EZ+Seed+at+Bristol+Speedway'; addthis_pub = ''; Technorati Tags: 2011, bristol, crash, Danica, Patrick, Scotts, seed, speedway
Ken Block?s Hollywood Megamercial is the Best Zombie Gymkhana Video We?ve Ever Seen
We just spotted this video of Ken Block tearing up the Universal Studios back lot. Yes, it is a commercial for his clothing line, and yes, he is driving a Fiesta, but man does it look fun. Throw an homage or two to classic movies, the guys from Epic Meal Time, a zombie and a [...]
Carl Edwards Deal Post-Mortem
For months Carl Edwards and the speculation about his 2012 plans have dominated Silly Season coverage (TC wrote about it just last week). It was a daily will he or won’t he. In the last several weeks it looked increasingly likely Edwards would make the jump to Joe Gibbs Racing – some were reporting very [...]TheNASCARInsiders.com
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Follow the Insiders on Twitter or be a fan on Facebook!
David?s Blog: Busy Week Between Kansas and Pocono
David has a full schedule this week of appearances before head to take on the Tricky Triangle this weekend at Pocono Raceway
Friday, August 19, 2011
Ken Block?s Hollywood Megamercial is the Best Zombie Gymkhana Video We?ve Ever Seen
We just spotted this video of Ken Block tearing up the Universal Studios back lot. Yes, it is a commercial for his clothing line, and yes, he is driving a Fiesta, but man does it look fun. Throw an homage or two to classic movies, the guys from Epic Meal Time, a zombie and a [...]
Patrick mum about NASCAR move
Danica Patrick has kept the motor racing world waiting for the expected announcement that she will move full-time to NASCAR ? and she wasn’t going to let it slip out Thursday. View full post on NBCSports.com: NASCAR / Motors addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nascarpitstopblog.com%2Fnascar-racing%2Fpatrick-mum-about-nascar-move'; addthis_title = 'Patrick+mum+about+NASCAR+move'; addthis_pub = ''; Technorati Tags: about, Move, nascar, Patrick
How To Gain Automotive Online Savings Using AAA
It is not popular for many people to know that how to gain automotive online savings using AAA. The only thing which people know is that AAA will provide them with personalized maps of their trips. This is very chief convenience that the direct route to their destination will save lots of money in buying [...]
Part Time Sponsorships: Band Aid or Brand Fade?
Remember when race cars were still called "specials" and always looked the same, every race, every season, according to what colors, personal obsessions and/or hand lettering styles the team owner, long time sponsor or the primary check writer's wife (or girlfriend) liked? They didn't know it at the time but those early team owners and sponsors were participating in the development of what the marketing folks now call 'Branding' -- something entirely different from the kind of branding that Rowdy Yates, Gordon Johncock and A.J. Foyt used to do to cows. A company's brand is its personality, image and reputation; it?s the consumer's perception of the company and its values. Using motorsports to promote a company brand has always been an efficient, reasonably cost-effective, but not inexpensive means of advertising. But as noted in The Right Stuff, "No bucks, no Buck Rogers." The current economy, still wheezing along as it tries to avoid hospice, has had a major impact on motorsports sponsorships and race teams have had to make equally major adjustments. Full season and especially multi-season sponsorships, which benefit and build the team and sponsor brands best, are becoming extinct. So to keep doing what they do, race teams are slicing up their primary sponsorship packages to allow more companies to benefit from NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and IZOD IndyCar Series brand building. That's why Cousin Carl, Juan Pablo, Kyle Busch and so many other NASCAR superstars now find themselves racing two, three, four or more different looking cars each season. Why Helio, Dario, Scott Dixon, etc. in IndyCar run different paint schemes at different races. Everyone from Roush Fenway, Andretti Autosports and Richard Childress to Team Penske, Hendrick Motorsports and Chip Ganassi have had to adopt the new break-it-up-and-sell-it-in-pieces model in order to keep their doors open and all their teams racing. Unfortunately the all-powerful branding value of primary sponsorship in racing, as a whole, is no longer the sum of its parts because partial race sponsorships mean diminished reach and frequency per sponsor. Partial sponsorships surrender and waste the opportunities for long term, loyalty over time relationships that come from default consumer connections. Exclusivity and its rewards are going away. The almost subconscious association between the consumer and a driver, team, primary sponsor and series, where a special paint scheme is part of the sponsor's branding strategy, not some other company's, is fading.
For instance: Matt Kenseth has been driving a No. 17 Ford for 11 years. From his rookie year through 2009, DeWalt Power Tools served as his team's primary sponsor and every partner's branding efforts benefitted. A successful, popular driver was associated with a strong team and a popular consumer product manufacturer and all three were presented to the consumer, week after week, with the same face, the same voice, the same 'look and feel' on the biggest stage in American racing.
DeWalt left after 2009 and the No. 17 car became the Crown Royal Ford. But just last week we found out that Crown Royal, Matt's "primary primary" sponsor is leaving at the end of this season. And this past Saturday night, when Kenseth pushed teammate David Ragan's No. 6 UPS Ford to the win at Daytona, the No. 17 was black instead of Royal Crown purple; the rear quarter panel displaying the name and logo of a company called Affliction Clothing -- even thought you won't find that name and logo on Roush Fenway's sponsor page at www.roushfenway.com yet. The brand partnership that was so strong for so many years has splintered. So as a result of rotating sponsorships and car colors and well-intentioned consumer promotions, primary motorsports sponsorship as a branding investment strategy is slowly being devalued. The No. 1 racing-related brand in history remains STP thanks mainly to its decades-long support of Richard Petty and the No. 43 car, and earlier support of the Novi, then turbine -powered, the Mario Andretti -driven Indy 500 race cars. Year after year, with relentless repetition, STP's hope-in-a-bottle message was exposed to a larger and larger audience because the marketing campaign didn't just help STP; it also helped NASCAR, Richard Petty, Andy Granatelli and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was the epitome of that old, 'a rising tide lift all boats' deal. And now, like the price of gas, motorsports sponsorship is in a recession -created slump that no one can really do anything about. Part-time sponsors are certainly better than no sponsors but there will be consequences to the realistic prognosis that season-long primary sponsorships will soon be the exception instead of the rule. For we-the-non-invested, part-time sponsorships will be fine and we'll hardly notice any difference between Jimmy Johnson in the always Lowe's -liveried car and Jeff Gordon and his No. 24 car that switches between DuPont, Pepsi and AARP paint schemes. We'll follow our favorite teams and drivers like always, barely aware of the rotating wraps. We won't really care that sometimes Carl Edwards's car and driving suit is green or red for Scott's or Ortho; or black, blue and green for Aflac or yellow and green for Subway or blue and white for Fastenal. But the corporate bean counters, media researchers and impressions junkies will care. Because slicing up a season long primary race car sponsorship makes it less of a branding bargain, not more. When the economy recovers, today's NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA, etc. teams may find that the selling prices of real, effective, build-your-brand, activate-like-crazy primary race car sponsorships won't come close to where they were before the recession. Too many get-what-you-sell-for partial sponsorships will have diluted the primary sponsorship ?brand?, changing the funding model forever. Let hope that works out for everyone.
Remember when race cars were still called "specials" and always looked the same, every race, every season, according to what colors, personal obsessions and/or hand lettering styles the team owner, long time sponsor or the primary check writer's wife (or girlfriend) liked? They didn't know it at the time but those early team owners and sponsors were participating in the development of what the marketing folks now call 'Branding' -- something entirely different from the kind of branding that Rowdy Yates, Gordon Johncock and A.J. Foyt used to do to cows. A company's brand is its personality, image and reputation; it?s the consumer's perception of the company and its values. Using motorsports to promote a company brand has always been an efficient, reasonably cost-effective, but not inexpensive means of advertising. But as noted in The Right Stuff, "No bucks, no Buck Rogers." The current economy, still wheezing along as it tries to avoid hospice, has had a major impact on motorsports sponsorships and race teams have had to make equally major adjustments. Full season and especially multi-season sponsorships, which benefit and build the team and sponsor brands best, are becoming extinct. So to keep doing what they do, race teams are slicing up their primary sponsorship packages to allow more companies to benefit from NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and IZOD IndyCar Series brand building. That's why Cousin Carl, Juan Pablo, Kyle Busch and so many other NASCAR superstars now find themselves racing two, three, four or more different looking cars each season. Why Helio, Dario, Scott Dixon, etc. in IndyCar run different paint schemes at different races. Everyone from Roush Fenway, Andretti Autosports and Richard Childress to Team Penske, Hendrick Motorsports and Chip Ganassi have had to adopt the new break-it-up-and-sell-it-in-pieces model in order to keep their doors open and all their teams racing. Unfortunately the all-powerful branding value of primary sponsorship in racing, as a whole, is no longer the sum of its parts because partial race sponsorships mean diminished reach and frequency per sponsor. Partial sponsorships surrender and waste the opportunities for long term, loyalty over time relationships that come from default consumer connections. Exclusivity and its rewards are going away. The almost subconscious association between the consumer and a driver, team, primary sponsor and series, where a special paint scheme is part of the sponsor's branding strategy, not some other company's, is fading. For instance: Matt Kenseth has been driving a No. 17 Ford for 11 years. From his rookie year through 2009, DeWalt Power Tools served as his team's primary sponsor and every partner's branding efforts benefitted. A successful, popular driver was associated with a strong team and a popular consumer product manufacturer and all three were presented to the consumer, week after week, with the same face, the same voice, the same 'look and feel' on the biggest stage in American racing. DeWalt left after 2009 and the No. 17 car became the Crown Royal Ford. But just last week we found out that Crown Royal, Matt's "primary primary" sponsor is leaving at the end of this season. And this past Saturday night, when Kenseth pushed teammate David Ragan's No. 6 UPS Ford to the win at Daytona, the No. 17 was black instead of Royal Crown purple; the rear quarter panel displaying the name and logo of a company called Affliction Clothing -- even thought you won't find that name and logo on Roush Fenway's sponsor page at www.roushfenway.com yet. The brand partnership that was so strong for so many years has splintered. So as a result of rotating sponsorships and car colors and well-intentioned consumer promotions, primary motorsports sponsorship as a branding investment strategy is slowly being devalued. The No. 1 racing-related brand in history remains STP thanks mainly to its decades-long support of Richard Petty and the No. 43 car, and earlier support of the Novi, then turbine -powered, the Mario Andretti -driven Indy 500 race cars. Year after year, with relentless repetition, STP's hope-in-a-bottle message was exposed to a larger and larger audience because the marketing campaign didn't just help STP; it also helped NASCAR, Richard Petty, Andy Granatelli and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was the epitome of that old, 'a rising tide lift all boats' deal. And now, like the price of gas, motorsports sponsorship is in a recession -created slump that no one can really do anything about. Part-time sponsors are certainly better than no sponsors but there will be consequences to the realistic prognosis that season-long primary sponsorships will soon be the exception instead of the rule. For we-the-non-invested, part-time sponsorships will be fine and we'll hardly notice any difference between Jimmy Johnson in the always Lowe's -liveried car and Jeff Gordon and his No. 24 car that switches between DuPont, Pepsi and AARP paint schemes. We'll follow our favorite teams and drivers like always, barely aware of the rotating wraps. We won't really care that sometimes Carl Edwards's car and driving suit is green or red for Scott's or Ortho; or black, blue and green for Aflac or yellow and green for Subway or blue and white for Fastenal. But the corporate bean counters, media researchers and impressions junkies will care. Because slicing up a season long primary race car sponsorship makes it less of a branding bargain, not more. When the economy recovers, today's NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA, etc. teams may find that the selling prices of real, effective, build-your-brand, activate-like-crazy primary race car sponsorships won't come close to where they were before the recession. Too many get-what-you-sell-for partial sponsorships will have diluted the primary sponsorship ?brand?, changing the funding model forever. Let hope that works out for everyone.
Remember when race cars were still called "specials" and always looked the same, every race, every season, according to what colors, personal obsessions and/or hand lettering styles the team owner, long time sponsor or the primary check writer's wife (or girlfriend) liked? They didn't know it at the time but those early team owners and sponsors were participating in the development of what the marketing folks now call 'Branding' -- something entirely different from the kind of branding that Rowdy Yates, Gordon Johncock and A.J. Foyt used to do to cows. A company's brand is its personality, image and reputation; it?s the consumer's perception of the company and its values. Using motorsports to promote a company brand has always been an efficient, reasonably cost-effective, but not inexpensive means of advertising. But as noted in The Right Stuff, "No bucks, no Buck Rogers." The current economy, still wheezing along as it tries to avoid hospice, has had a major impact on motorsports sponsorships and race teams have had to make equally major adjustments. Full season and especially multi-season sponsorships, which benefit and build the team and sponsor brands best, are becoming extinct. So to keep doing what they do, race teams are slicing up their primary sponsorship packages to allow more companies to benefit from NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and IZOD IndyCar Series brand building. That's why Cousin Carl, Juan Pablo, Kyle Busch and so many other NASCAR superstars now find themselves racing two, three, four or more different looking cars each season. Why Helio, Dario, Scott Dixon, etc. in IndyCar run different paint schemes at different races. Everyone from Roush Fenway, Andretti Autosports and Richard Childress to Team Penske, Hendrick Motorsports and Chip Ganassi have had to adopt the new break-it-up-and-sell-it-in-pieces model in order to keep their doors open and all their teams racing. Unfortunately the all-powerful branding value of primary sponsorship in racing, as a whole, is no longer the sum of its parts because partial race sponsorships mean diminished reach and frequency per sponsor. Partial sponsorships surrender and waste the opportunities for long term, loyalty over time relationships that come from default consumer connections. Exclusivity and its rewards are going away. The almost subconscious association between the consumer and a driver, team, primary sponsor and series, where a special paint scheme is part of the sponsor's branding strategy, not some other company's, is fading. For instance: Matt Kenseth has been driving a No. 17 Ford for 11 years. From his rookie year through 2009, DeWalt Power Tools served as his team's primary sponsor and every partner's branding efforts benefitted. A successful, popular driver was associated with a strong team and a popular consumer product manufacturer and all three were presented to the consumer, week after week, with the same face, the same voice, the same 'look and feel' on the biggest stage in American racing. DeWalt left after 2009 and the No. 17 car became the Crown Royal Ford. But just last week we found out that Crown Royal, Matt's "primary primary" sponsor is leaving at the end of this season. And this past Saturday night, when Kenseth pushed teammate David Ragan's No. 6 UPS Ford to the win at Daytona, the No. 17 was black instead of Royal Crown purple; the rear quarter panel displaying the name and logo of a company called Affliction Clothing -- even thought you won't find that name and logo on Roush Fenway's sponsor page at www.roushfenway.com yet. The brand partnership that was so strong for so many years has splintered. So as a result of rotating sponsorships and car colors and well-intentioned consumer promotions, primary motorsports sponsorship as a branding investment strategy is slowly being devalued. The No. 1 racing-related brand in history remains STP thanks mainly to its decades-long support of Richard Petty and the No. 43 car, and earlier support of the Novi, then turbine -powered, the Mario Andretti -driven Indy 500 race cars. Year after year, with relentless repetition, STP's hope-in-a-bottle message was exposed to a larger and larger audience because the marketing campaign didn't just help STP; it also helped NASCAR, Richard Petty, Andy Granatelli and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was the epitome of that old, 'a rising tide lift all boats' deal. And now, like the price of gas, motorsports sponsorship is in a recession -created slump that no one can really do anything about. Part-time sponsors are certainly better than no sponsors but there will be consequences to the realistic prognosis that season-long primary sponsorships will soon be the exception instead of the rule. For we-the-non-invested, part-time sponsorships will be fine and we'll hardly notice any difference between Jimmy Johnson in the always Lowe's -liveried car and Jeff Gordon and his No. 24 car that switches between DuPont, Pepsi and AARP paint schemes. We'll follow our favorite teams and drivers like always, barely aware of the rotating wraps. We won't really care that sometimes Carl Edwards's car and driving suit is green or red for Scott's or Ortho; or black, blue and green for Aflac or yellow and green for Subway or blue and white for Fastenal. But the corporate bean counters, media researchers and impressions junkies will care. Because slicing up a season long primary race car sponsorship makes it less of a branding bargain, not more. When the economy recovers, today's NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA, etc. teams may find that the selling prices of real, effective, build-your-brand, activate-like-crazy primary race car sponsorships won't come close to where they were before the recession. Too many get-what-you-sell-for partial sponsorships will have diluted the primary sponsorship ?brand?, changing the funding model forever. Let hope that works out for everyone.
For instance: Matt Kenseth has been driving a No. 17 Ford for 11 years. From his rookie year through 2009, DeWalt Power Tools served as his team's primary sponsor and every partner's branding efforts benefitted. A successful, popular driver was associated with a strong team and a popular consumer product manufacturer and all three were presented to the consumer, week after week, with the same face, the same voice, the same 'look and feel' on the biggest stage in American racing.
DeWalt left after 2009 and the No. 17 car became the Crown Royal Ford. But just last week we found out that Crown Royal, Matt's "primary primary" sponsor is leaving at the end of this season. And this past Saturday night, when Kenseth pushed teammate David Ragan's No. 6 UPS Ford to the win at Daytona, the No. 17 was black instead of Royal Crown purple; the rear quarter panel displaying the name and logo of a company called Affliction Clothing -- even thought you won't find that name and logo on Roush Fenway's sponsor page at www.roushfenway.com yet. The brand partnership that was so strong for so many years has splintered. So as a result of rotating sponsorships and car colors and well-intentioned consumer promotions, primary motorsports sponsorship as a branding investment strategy is slowly being devalued. The No. 1 racing-related brand in history remains STP thanks mainly to its decades-long support of Richard Petty and the No. 43 car, and earlier support of the Novi, then turbine -powered, the Mario Andretti -driven Indy 500 race cars. Year after year, with relentless repetition, STP's hope-in-a-bottle message was exposed to a larger and larger audience because the marketing campaign didn't just help STP; it also helped NASCAR, Richard Petty, Andy Granatelli and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was the epitome of that old, 'a rising tide lift all boats' deal. And now, like the price of gas, motorsports sponsorship is in a recession -created slump that no one can really do anything about. Part-time sponsors are certainly better than no sponsors but there will be consequences to the realistic prognosis that season-long primary sponsorships will soon be the exception instead of the rule. For we-the-non-invested, part-time sponsorships will be fine and we'll hardly notice any difference between Jimmy Johnson in the always Lowe's -liveried car and Jeff Gordon and his No. 24 car that switches between DuPont, Pepsi and AARP paint schemes. We'll follow our favorite teams and drivers like always, barely aware of the rotating wraps. We won't really care that sometimes Carl Edwards's car and driving suit is green or red for Scott's or Ortho; or black, blue and green for Aflac or yellow and green for Subway or blue and white for Fastenal. But the corporate bean counters, media researchers and impressions junkies will care. Because slicing up a season long primary race car sponsorship makes it less of a branding bargain, not more. When the economy recovers, today's NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA, etc. teams may find that the selling prices of real, effective, build-your-brand, activate-like-crazy primary race car sponsorships won't come close to where they were before the recession. Too many get-what-you-sell-for partial sponsorships will have diluted the primary sponsorship ?brand?, changing the funding model forever. Let hope that works out for everyone.
Remember when race cars were still called "specials" and always looked the same, every race, every season, according to what colors, personal obsessions and/or hand lettering styles the team owner, long time sponsor or the primary check writer's wife (or girlfriend) liked? They didn't know it at the time but those early team owners and sponsors were participating in the development of what the marketing folks now call 'Branding' -- something entirely different from the kind of branding that Rowdy Yates, Gordon Johncock and A.J. Foyt used to do to cows. A company's brand is its personality, image and reputation; it?s the consumer's perception of the company and its values. Using motorsports to promote a company brand has always been an efficient, reasonably cost-effective, but not inexpensive means of advertising. But as noted in The Right Stuff, "No bucks, no Buck Rogers." The current economy, still wheezing along as it tries to avoid hospice, has had a major impact on motorsports sponsorships and race teams have had to make equally major adjustments. Full season and especially multi-season sponsorships, which benefit and build the team and sponsor brands best, are becoming extinct. So to keep doing what they do, race teams are slicing up their primary sponsorship packages to allow more companies to benefit from NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and IZOD IndyCar Series brand building. That's why Cousin Carl, Juan Pablo, Kyle Busch and so many other NASCAR superstars now find themselves racing two, three, four or more different looking cars each season. Why Helio, Dario, Scott Dixon, etc. in IndyCar run different paint schemes at different races. Everyone from Roush Fenway, Andretti Autosports and Richard Childress to Team Penske, Hendrick Motorsports and Chip Ganassi have had to adopt the new break-it-up-and-sell-it-in-pieces model in order to keep their doors open and all their teams racing. Unfortunately the all-powerful branding value of primary sponsorship in racing, as a whole, is no longer the sum of its parts because partial race sponsorships mean diminished reach and frequency per sponsor. Partial sponsorships surrender and waste the opportunities for long term, loyalty over time relationships that come from default consumer connections. Exclusivity and its rewards are going away. The almost subconscious association between the consumer and a driver, team, primary sponsor and series, where a special paint scheme is part of the sponsor's branding strategy, not some other company's, is fading. For instance: Matt Kenseth has been driving a No. 17 Ford for 11 years. From his rookie year through 2009, DeWalt Power Tools served as his team's primary sponsor and every partner's branding efforts benefitted. A successful, popular driver was associated with a strong team and a popular consumer product manufacturer and all three were presented to the consumer, week after week, with the same face, the same voice, the same 'look and feel' on the biggest stage in American racing. DeWalt left after 2009 and the No. 17 car became the Crown Royal Ford. But just last week we found out that Crown Royal, Matt's "primary primary" sponsor is leaving at the end of this season. And this past Saturday night, when Kenseth pushed teammate David Ragan's No. 6 UPS Ford to the win at Daytona, the No. 17 was black instead of Royal Crown purple; the rear quarter panel displaying the name and logo of a company called Affliction Clothing -- even thought you won't find that name and logo on Roush Fenway's sponsor page at www.roushfenway.com yet. The brand partnership that was so strong for so many years has splintered. So as a result of rotating sponsorships and car colors and well-intentioned consumer promotions, primary motorsports sponsorship as a branding investment strategy is slowly being devalued. The No. 1 racing-related brand in history remains STP thanks mainly to its decades-long support of Richard Petty and the No. 43 car, and earlier support of the Novi, then turbine -powered, the Mario Andretti -driven Indy 500 race cars. Year after year, with relentless repetition, STP's hope-in-a-bottle message was exposed to a larger and larger audience because the marketing campaign didn't just help STP; it also helped NASCAR, Richard Petty, Andy Granatelli and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was the epitome of that old, 'a rising tide lift all boats' deal. And now, like the price of gas, motorsports sponsorship is in a recession -created slump that no one can really do anything about. Part-time sponsors are certainly better than no sponsors but there will be consequences to the realistic prognosis that season-long primary sponsorships will soon be the exception instead of the rule. For we-the-non-invested, part-time sponsorships will be fine and we'll hardly notice any difference between Jimmy Johnson in the always Lowe's -liveried car and Jeff Gordon and his No. 24 car that switches between DuPont, Pepsi and AARP paint schemes. We'll follow our favorite teams and drivers like always, barely aware of the rotating wraps. We won't really care that sometimes Carl Edwards's car and driving suit is green or red for Scott's or Ortho; or black, blue and green for Aflac or yellow and green for Subway or blue and white for Fastenal. But the corporate bean counters, media researchers and impressions junkies will care. Because slicing up a season long primary race car sponsorship makes it less of a branding bargain, not more. When the economy recovers, today's NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA, etc. teams may find that the selling prices of real, effective, build-your-brand, activate-like-crazy primary race car sponsorships won't come close to where they were before the recession. Too many get-what-you-sell-for partial sponsorships will have diluted the primary sponsorship ?brand?, changing the funding model forever. Let hope that works out for everyone.
Remember when race cars were still called "specials" and always looked the same, every race, every season, according to what colors, personal obsessions and/or hand lettering styles the team owner, long time sponsor or the primary check writer's wife (or girlfriend) liked? They didn't know it at the time but those early team owners and sponsors were participating in the development of what the marketing folks now call 'Branding' -- something entirely different from the kind of branding that Rowdy Yates, Gordon Johncock and A.J. Foyt used to do to cows. A company's brand is its personality, image and reputation; it?s the consumer's perception of the company and its values. Using motorsports to promote a company brand has always been an efficient, reasonably cost-effective, but not inexpensive means of advertising. But as noted in The Right Stuff, "No bucks, no Buck Rogers." The current economy, still wheezing along as it tries to avoid hospice, has had a major impact on motorsports sponsorships and race teams have had to make equally major adjustments. Full season and especially multi-season sponsorships, which benefit and build the team and sponsor brands best, are becoming extinct. So to keep doing what they do, race teams are slicing up their primary sponsorship packages to allow more companies to benefit from NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and IZOD IndyCar Series brand building. That's why Cousin Carl, Juan Pablo, Kyle Busch and so many other NASCAR superstars now find themselves racing two, three, four or more different looking cars each season. Why Helio, Dario, Scott Dixon, etc. in IndyCar run different paint schemes at different races. Everyone from Roush Fenway, Andretti Autosports and Richard Childress to Team Penske, Hendrick Motorsports and Chip Ganassi have had to adopt the new break-it-up-and-sell-it-in-pieces model in order to keep their doors open and all their teams racing. Unfortunately the all-powerful branding value of primary sponsorship in racing, as a whole, is no longer the sum of its parts because partial race sponsorships mean diminished reach and frequency per sponsor. Partial sponsorships surrender and waste the opportunities for long term, loyalty over time relationships that come from default consumer connections. Exclusivity and its rewards are going away. The almost subconscious association between the consumer and a driver, team, primary sponsor and series, where a special paint scheme is part of the sponsor's branding strategy, not some other company's, is fading. For instance: Matt Kenseth has been driving a No. 17 Ford for 11 years. From his rookie year through 2009, DeWalt Power Tools served as his team's primary sponsor and every partner's branding efforts benefitted. A successful, popular driver was associated with a strong team and a popular consumer product manufacturer and all three were presented to the consumer, week after week, with the same face, the same voice, the same 'look and feel' on the biggest stage in American racing. DeWalt left after 2009 and the No. 17 car became the Crown Royal Ford. But just last week we found out that Crown Royal, Matt's "primary primary" sponsor is leaving at the end of this season. And this past Saturday night, when Kenseth pushed teammate David Ragan's No. 6 UPS Ford to the win at Daytona, the No. 17 was black instead of Royal Crown purple; the rear quarter panel displaying the name and logo of a company called Affliction Clothing -- even thought you won't find that name and logo on Roush Fenway's sponsor page at www.roushfenway.com yet. The brand partnership that was so strong for so many years has splintered. So as a result of rotating sponsorships and car colors and well-intentioned consumer promotions, primary motorsports sponsorship as a branding investment strategy is slowly being devalued. The No. 1 racing-related brand in history remains STP thanks mainly to its decades-long support of Richard Petty and the No. 43 car, and earlier support of the Novi, then turbine -powered, the Mario Andretti -driven Indy 500 race cars. Year after year, with relentless repetition, STP's hope-in-a-bottle message was exposed to a larger and larger audience because the marketing campaign didn't just help STP; it also helped NASCAR, Richard Petty, Andy Granatelli and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was the epitome of that old, 'a rising tide lift all boats' deal. And now, like the price of gas, motorsports sponsorship is in a recession -created slump that no one can really do anything about. Part-time sponsors are certainly better than no sponsors but there will be consequences to the realistic prognosis that season-long primary sponsorships will soon be the exception instead of the rule. For we-the-non-invested, part-time sponsorships will be fine and we'll hardly notice any difference between Jimmy Johnson in the always Lowe's -liveried car and Jeff Gordon and his No. 24 car that switches between DuPont, Pepsi and AARP paint schemes. We'll follow our favorite teams and drivers like always, barely aware of the rotating wraps. We won't really care that sometimes Carl Edwards's car and driving suit is green or red for Scott's or Ortho; or black, blue and green for Aflac or yellow and green for Subway or blue and white for Fastenal. But the corporate bean counters, media researchers and impressions junkies will care. Because slicing up a season long primary race car sponsorship makes it less of a branding bargain, not more. When the economy recovers, today's NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA, etc. teams may find that the selling prices of real, effective, build-your-brand, activate-like-crazy primary race car sponsorships won't come close to where they were before the recession. Too many get-what-you-sell-for partial sponsorships will have diluted the primary sponsorship ?brand?, changing the funding model forever. Let hope that works out for everyone.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Marcos Ambrose wins at Watkins Glen
Marcos Ambrose missed his daughter’s first day of school. She probably won’t mind. View full post on NBCSports.com: NASCAR / Motors addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nascarpitstopblog.com%2Fnascar-racing%2Fmarcos-ambrose-wins-at-watkins-glen'; addthis_title = 'Marcos+Ambrose+wins+at+Watkins+Glen'; addthis_pub = ''; Technorati Tags: Ambrose, glen, Marcos, watkins, wins
Sports Car Racing in America is at a Crossroads. The Directions are in French.
A few months ago the F�d�ration Internationale de l?Automobile (FIA) and the Automobile Club de l?Ouest (ACO) announced a partnership that would turn the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup sports car racing series into the FIA World Endurance Championship, beginning in 2012.
This is a definite upgrade.
The FIA runs Formula 1, the World Rally Championship, the World Touring Car Championship and many other series. It has decades upon decades of history and milestones, experience, partnerships and power.
Having the FIA take over the series that shares specs, sexy prototypes and two races a year with the nine-race American Le Mans Series (ALMS) provides huge opportunity. It's the best (and only) way "Le Mans" -style sports car racing can grow to become an F1-modeled, international multi-million dollar motorsports entertainment division.
But wait. On this continent NASCAR is the king in the motorsports entertainment industry. Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck series racing sells more tickets, attracts more media coverage and launders more manufacturer and sponsorship dollars than every other series in America combined.
And wouldn't you know it. NASCAR's even got a road racing division, the Grand-Am series, featuring Daytona Prototypes (a certain, famous Florida family's take on what a sports car racing prototype should be) and full race GTs plus classes for modified production cars.
Grand Am was started in 2000, either as a really cool, nepotistic 35th birthday present for fledgling racer J.C. France, son of NASCAR's Jim France, or as a serious business venture to use the equity and lessons learned from NASCAR to creating a low-tech "rubbin's racing" road racing series.
Or perhaps it was a return volley after the ALMS was formed in 1999 by Georgia businessman Don Panoz to bring the ACO -sanctioned, hi-tech European Le Mans cars and stars here to America, after IMSA and then the Professional Sports Car Racing Series went away.
That part of history doesn't matter now. It's been over 10 years and yes, we have two different sports car series that are completely incompatible. Both are trying to appeal to the same audience but with different cars, engines, rules and especially philosophies about the racing itself.
Sound familiar? It should. "The Split" just about killed open wheel racing in America.
Sports car racing as an asset, i.e. two different series offering marketable motorsports entertainment, is a distant third behind NASCAR and IndyCar here in the good old U.S. of A. NASCAR has a monopoly and a proven, self sustaining ladder system including local series and ARCA. IndyCar is poised to thrive again after the key competition for its necessary resources -- a competitive series -- finally went the way of all things.
Sports car racing though, as long as its split into two different series, has those same problems open wheel did after it went through that expensive, bad-for-the-kids nasty divorce.
Fact: While two competitive series can somewhat share an audience or a fan base, because the racing discipline is the similar, its much harder to share manufacturer support, sponsorship and available media exposure.
As a matter of fact, in this still lousy economy, it's almost impossible.
With the FIA's takeover of Le Mans sports car endurance racing the ALMS can definitely benefit -- if it can survive long enough. It will be able to market its racing as a laboratory for innovation and the development of new technologies on a world stage; with advances in propulsion, safety, energy storage and more the byproduct of competition at the highest level. And don't forget the allure, the luxury, the hospitality excesses attached to a real, FIA world championship series featuring brands like Mercedes, Audi, Ferrari and Porsche.
Grand Am is ready though. For 2012 the featured Daytona Prototypes are being redesigned to allow for more styling cues; to allow manufacturers to make them look more closely related to their street production vehicles --like Fords, Chevys, BMWs and Porches.
Hot damn.
Grand Am wants their road racing series to remain exactly as it was conceived; with bang- and almost bulletproof cars powered by reliable, proven engines and drivetrains and rules that pretty much take creativity and innovation completely out of the equation.
They believe the drivers are the stars and the cars are just necessary equipment to generate support and revenue from manufacturers. And to keep the manufacturers happy and interested, Grand Am is attempting to make the race cars look more like production vehicles.
Best of luck with that one. No one, absolutely no one, thinks trying to make a Ford powered Daytona Prototype feature 'the look and feel' of a Mustang is going to put one more butt in the grandstands.
So, for your sports car racing in America entertainment, and interest, I see three different scenarios for what lies ahead:
The first is the most likely, the Status Quo. Grand Am will continue on with a 12 or so race schedule, same with the ALMS, and the Rolex 24 at Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans events will be the only ones that anyone really pays attention to. Both series will try to soldier on with a handful of prototypes at other events and American sports car racing will fall further and further behind NASCAR, IndyCar and even NHRA drag racing.
The second scenario is bye-bye to the ALMS completely and everyone surrenders to the power of NASCAR. The two FIA WEC events in North America become as valued and rare as the F1 races in Canada and Austin, while the Grand Am Rolex series slugs along, either racing alone or with NASCAR or IndyCar at select venues.
Finally, and filed under the When Pigs Fly category, there's the shiny object merger scenario, where the new Grand American Le Mans Series abandons the Daytona Prototypes and runs a 16-or-so North American series featuring FIA WEC-spec rules and classes. The Rolex 24, Sebring and Petit Le Mans would also be part of the new, expanded FIA WEC schedule which could also include events in Canada and Mexico.
Of course, it?s all wishful thinking. But why not?
A merger eliminates the inefficiencies of a shared fan base and compromised TV, manufacturer and sponsorship participation. One American series using FIA rules and regs makes all sports car racing 'apples to apples' and it also makes it a lot easier for carmakers to commit due to economy of scale.
But that's just my take. What's yours?
Read more of Bill Tybur at his website: https://fmfl.net
This is a definite upgrade.
The FIA runs Formula 1, the World Rally Championship, the World Touring Car Championship and many other series. It has decades upon decades of history and milestones, experience, partnerships and power.
Having the FIA take over the series that shares specs, sexy prototypes and two races a year with the nine-race American Le Mans Series (ALMS) provides huge opportunity. It's the best (and only) way "Le Mans" -style sports car racing can grow to become an F1-modeled, international multi-million dollar motorsports entertainment division.
But wait. On this continent NASCAR is the king in the motorsports entertainment industry. Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck series racing sells more tickets, attracts more media coverage and launders more manufacturer and sponsorship dollars than every other series in America combined.
And wouldn't you know it. NASCAR's even got a road racing division, the Grand-Am series, featuring Daytona Prototypes (a certain, famous Florida family's take on what a sports car racing prototype should be) and full race GTs plus classes for modified production cars.
Grand Am was started in 2000, either as a really cool, nepotistic 35th birthday present for fledgling racer J.C. France, son of NASCAR's Jim France, or as a serious business venture to use the equity and lessons learned from NASCAR to creating a low-tech "rubbin's racing" road racing series.
Or perhaps it was a return volley after the ALMS was formed in 1999 by Georgia businessman Don Panoz to bring the ACO -sanctioned, hi-tech European Le Mans cars and stars here to America, after IMSA and then the Professional Sports Car Racing Series went away.
That part of history doesn't matter now. It's been over 10 years and yes, we have two different sports car series that are completely incompatible. Both are trying to appeal to the same audience but with different cars, engines, rules and especially philosophies about the racing itself.
Sound familiar? It should. "The Split" just about killed open wheel racing in America.
Sports car racing as an asset, i.e. two different series offering marketable motorsports entertainment, is a distant third behind NASCAR and IndyCar here in the good old U.S. of A. NASCAR has a monopoly and a proven, self sustaining ladder system including local series and ARCA. IndyCar is poised to thrive again after the key competition for its necessary resources -- a competitive series -- finally went the way of all things.
Sports car racing though, as long as its split into two different series, has those same problems open wheel did after it went through that expensive, bad-for-the-kids nasty divorce.
Fact: While two competitive series can somewhat share an audience or a fan base, because the racing discipline is the similar, its much harder to share manufacturer support, sponsorship and available media exposure.
As a matter of fact, in this still lousy economy, it's almost impossible.
With the FIA's takeover of Le Mans sports car endurance racing the ALMS can definitely benefit -- if it can survive long enough. It will be able to market its racing as a laboratory for innovation and the development of new technologies on a world stage; with advances in propulsion, safety, energy storage and more the byproduct of competition at the highest level. And don't forget the allure, the luxury, the hospitality excesses attached to a real, FIA world championship series featuring brands like Mercedes, Audi, Ferrari and Porsche.
Grand Am is ready though. For 2012 the featured Daytona Prototypes are being redesigned to allow for more styling cues; to allow manufacturers to make them look more closely related to their street production vehicles --like Fords, Chevys, BMWs and Porches.
Hot damn.
Grand Am wants their road racing series to remain exactly as it was conceived; with bang- and almost bulletproof cars powered by reliable, proven engines and drivetrains and rules that pretty much take creativity and innovation completely out of the equation.
They believe the drivers are the stars and the cars are just necessary equipment to generate support and revenue from manufacturers. And to keep the manufacturers happy and interested, Grand Am is attempting to make the race cars look more like production vehicles.
Best of luck with that one. No one, absolutely no one, thinks trying to make a Ford powered Daytona Prototype feature 'the look and feel' of a Mustang is going to put one more butt in the grandstands.
So, for your sports car racing in America entertainment, and interest, I see three different scenarios for what lies ahead:
The first is the most likely, the Status Quo. Grand Am will continue on with a 12 or so race schedule, same with the ALMS, and the Rolex 24 at Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans events will be the only ones that anyone really pays attention to. Both series will try to soldier on with a handful of prototypes at other events and American sports car racing will fall further and further behind NASCAR, IndyCar and even NHRA drag racing.
The second scenario is bye-bye to the ALMS completely and everyone surrenders to the power of NASCAR. The two FIA WEC events in North America become as valued and rare as the F1 races in Canada and Austin, while the Grand Am Rolex series slugs along, either racing alone or with NASCAR or IndyCar at select venues.
Finally, and filed under the When Pigs Fly category, there's the shiny object merger scenario, where the new Grand American Le Mans Series abandons the Daytona Prototypes and runs a 16-or-so North American series featuring FIA WEC-spec rules and classes. The Rolex 24, Sebring and Petit Le Mans would also be part of the new, expanded FIA WEC schedule which could also include events in Canada and Mexico.
Of course, it?s all wishful thinking. But why not?
A merger eliminates the inefficiencies of a shared fan base and compromised TV, manufacturer and sponsorship participation. One American series using FIA rules and regs makes all sports car racing 'apples to apples' and it also makes it a lot easier for carmakers to commit due to economy of scale.
But that's just my take. What's yours?
Read more of Bill Tybur at his website: https://fmfl.net
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Richard Petty 50th Anniversary
This weekend marks the 50th anniversary of Richard Petty's first race, which occurred on July 12, 1958. In celebration of his half-century of involvement in NASCAR, here is a reproduction of a Petty Enterprises race report...
NAZA ? Malaysia?s Auto Industry
Although Malaysia does not call up opinions with car enthusiasts as being an automotive powerhouse. In fact, many cars which built in this growing South Asian nation are manufactured by the cooperation of known and famous brands including Volkswagen and Kia. It is possible that very soon it will change into Malaysia?s top auto manufacturer?s [...]
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Ford?s Australian Performance Division Will Produce Limited Edition GT Black
FPV will sell you a copy of their newest model in any color you’d like, as long as it’s black. You can also get the steering wheel and pedals on which ever side of the car you’d like, as long as it’s the right. After showing a concept of the GT Black at the Australian [...]
Car Care And Diagnostics ? The Sound [Part 2]
It is a good idea to learn more about how to care your vehicle. It will allow a person to stay alert if some unscrupulous mechanic tries to gouge on your repairs. It stops a person from unnecessary repairs and saves your money. Also, it helps to locate a problem and fix it early. We [...]
F1 German GP Watch Party Fun at Wild Bubba?s
Today, Wild Bubba’s Wild Game Grill hosted a Formula 1 Watch Party to enjoy the German Grand Prix of Nurburgring. I motored up from San Antonio, TX to Elroy,TX – almost 90 miles away.� It’s just about 3 miles south of the Austin Bergstrom International Airport.� Before I arrived I went off to the side [...]
Said vows to give Biffle ?black eye?
Boris Said angry after Greg Biffle throws punches at him while in his car after race. View full post on NBCSports.com: NASCAR / Motors addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nascarpitstopblog.com%2Fnascar-racing%2Fsaid-vows-to-give-biffle-black-eye'; addthis_title = 'Said+vows+to+give+Biffle+%26%238216%3Bblack+eye%26%238217%3B'; addthis_pub = ''; Technorati Tags: Biffle, black, eye', give, Said, Vows
All systems still go for 2012 US GP at Austin
Last month, the Austin City Council officially endorsed the already-on-the-calendar United States Grand Prix and approved a commitment for up to $25m per year for 10 years.
This was a big, and hopefully last, major hurdle for the event, its promoters, the new Circuit of the America's track and their collective future. And I'm looking forward to it because Uncle Sam needs something good to happen regarding our deserved place on the international motorsports stage. An all new, state-of-the-art track facility successfully introduced to the world with an F1 race on June 17, 2012 could be it.
From 1961 through 1980, the US GP was held at Watkins Glen in upstate New York before moving to Long Beach, Las Vegas, Detroit, Dallas, Phoenix and finally Indianapolis, where its last hurrah was in 2007 after eight unremarkable races at the Brickyard.
Formula 1 has never been all that popular here, always overshadowed by Champ Car/IndyCar and later NASCAR. But 'here' is very popular with both the automobile manufacturers and myriad global sponsors who are heavily invested in the world's biggest racing series.
Three years ago, when it was announced F1 was leaving Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Tevo Hellmund, the man behind the now-under-construction track along the SH130 corridor in southeast Austin, saw an opportunity, called Bernie Ecclestone and started a dialogue.
Ecclestone took the call because he was friends with Hellmund's father, who was also a race promoter, and has known Tevo since he was a very young boy.
And surprise, surprise. In March of 2010 the shocking news broke about a new US F1 race in Austin, Texas of all places, not in or around one of our populous coastal metropoli, starting in 2012.
Considering the time frame, economy and impossible dream logistics at the time of that announcement, it?s no wonder many pundits pooh-poohed the race's chances for ever being run. And after the USF1 team fiasco, who could blame them.
An F1 race? In Texas? In June?
But now, only 11 months before the inaugural United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas, it appears those pundits and nattering nabobs of negativism were wrong as all systems appear go -- despite the last minute government funding hiccup.
That challenge was not a surprise. The subsidy agreement negotiated between Hellmund, partner Red McCombs, and the taxpayers created a firestorm of controversy in a state where education, health care and other services were being eliminated due to budget cuts.
So an opposition was organized, paperwork was filed, social media streams caught fire, hearings were held and a final vote passed five to two; which means as always, Bernie is going to get paid.
But nothing slowed down or stopped during the challenge process; there was no time. Construction of the 3.4 mile Tilke track (with a 130 ft. elevation change), plus the permanent buildings and landscaping and everything else continues on schedule.
As does the enhancement of the track's menu. Full Throttle Productions, Hellmund's promotions company, has also announced a 10-year contract to host MotoGP (including the standard support Moto2 and Moto3 races) plus the Australian V8 Supercar series, both beginning in 2013.
Per the standard entertainment model, the track will feature visitor attractions like driving or riding experiences, a kart track, welcome center and group facilities and a private motorsports club.
What Circuit of the Americas really needs though, and will eventually get, is more big races.
IndyCar is out as long as F1 is on the schedule and yes, SMI wants no competition for its NASCAR Cup, Nationwide or truck dates at Texas Motor Speedway. But the Rolex, ALMS and /or the new FIA World Endurance Championship series will undoubtedly race there eventually.
A fun suggestion seen on a discussion board: A NASCAR 'home track' invitational that would include NASCAR Canada, NASCAR Mexico and the K&N Pro Series entrants. I'm not sure about equipment equivalency but sure, I'd but a ticket to see that kind of race.
For now though, I'm just patiently waiting. From now until next summer I'm optimistic I'll be seeing occasional Circuit of the Americas progress updates and sponsorship announcements but I expect no warning or disaster notices.
I plan on reading about the track passing the various inspections and tests, seeing video features on the SPEED Report and Dave Despain's Wind Tunnel and then witnessing a great F1 race in Austin, Texas next June. In sweltering heat. With completely expected parking and traffic problems which will eventually be fixed.
And American's next F1 era will have begun.
In Austin, Texas of all places.
Read More of Bill Tybur at his website: https://fmfl.net
This was a big, and hopefully last, major hurdle for the event, its promoters, the new Circuit of the America's track and their collective future. And I'm looking forward to it because Uncle Sam needs something good to happen regarding our deserved place on the international motorsports stage. An all new, state-of-the-art track facility successfully introduced to the world with an F1 race on June 17, 2012 could be it.
From 1961 through 1980, the US GP was held at Watkins Glen in upstate New York before moving to Long Beach, Las Vegas, Detroit, Dallas, Phoenix and finally Indianapolis, where its last hurrah was in 2007 after eight unremarkable races at the Brickyard.
Formula 1 has never been all that popular here, always overshadowed by Champ Car/IndyCar and later NASCAR. But 'here' is very popular with both the automobile manufacturers and myriad global sponsors who are heavily invested in the world's biggest racing series.
Three years ago, when it was announced F1 was leaving Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Tevo Hellmund, the man behind the now-under-construction track along the SH130 corridor in southeast Austin, saw an opportunity, called Bernie Ecclestone and started a dialogue.
Ecclestone took the call because he was friends with Hellmund's father, who was also a race promoter, and has known Tevo since he was a very young boy.
And surprise, surprise. In March of 2010 the shocking news broke about a new US F1 race in Austin, Texas of all places, not in or around one of our populous coastal metropoli, starting in 2012.
Considering the time frame, economy and impossible dream logistics at the time of that announcement, it?s no wonder many pundits pooh-poohed the race's chances for ever being run. And after the USF1 team fiasco, who could blame them.
An F1 race? In Texas? In June?
But now, only 11 months before the inaugural United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas, it appears those pundits and nattering nabobs of negativism were wrong as all systems appear go -- despite the last minute government funding hiccup.
That challenge was not a surprise. The subsidy agreement negotiated between Hellmund, partner Red McCombs, and the taxpayers created a firestorm of controversy in a state where education, health care and other services were being eliminated due to budget cuts.
So an opposition was organized, paperwork was filed, social media streams caught fire, hearings were held and a final vote passed five to two; which means as always, Bernie is going to get paid.
But nothing slowed down or stopped during the challenge process; there was no time. Construction of the 3.4 mile Tilke track (with a 130 ft. elevation change), plus the permanent buildings and landscaping and everything else continues on schedule.
As does the enhancement of the track's menu. Full Throttle Productions, Hellmund's promotions company, has also announced a 10-year contract to host MotoGP (including the standard support Moto2 and Moto3 races) plus the Australian V8 Supercar series, both beginning in 2013.
Per the standard entertainment model, the track will feature visitor attractions like driving or riding experiences, a kart track, welcome center and group facilities and a private motorsports club.
What Circuit of the Americas really needs though, and will eventually get, is more big races.
IndyCar is out as long as F1 is on the schedule and yes, SMI wants no competition for its NASCAR Cup, Nationwide or truck dates at Texas Motor Speedway. But the Rolex, ALMS and /or the new FIA World Endurance Championship series will undoubtedly race there eventually.
A fun suggestion seen on a discussion board: A NASCAR 'home track' invitational that would include NASCAR Canada, NASCAR Mexico and the K&N Pro Series entrants. I'm not sure about equipment equivalency but sure, I'd but a ticket to see that kind of race.
For now though, I'm just patiently waiting. From now until next summer I'm optimistic I'll be seeing occasional Circuit of the Americas progress updates and sponsorship announcements but I expect no warning or disaster notices.
I plan on reading about the track passing the various inspections and tests, seeing video features on the SPEED Report and Dave Despain's Wind Tunnel and then witnessing a great F1 race in Austin, Texas next June. In sweltering heat. With completely expected parking and traffic problems which will eventually be fixed.
And American's next F1 era will have begun.
In Austin, Texas of all places.
Read More of Bill Tybur at his website: https://fmfl.net
Monday, August 15, 2011
Pace Proving Neath Valley Stages for Sara
Brecon rally driver, Sara Williams, put in a blinding performance on the weekends Walters Arena Neath Valley Stages to run as high as third overall at one point before mechanical dramas dropped her down to finish an impressive 9th. The 2011 John Eassons award winner, awarded to a promising young driver each year, has rapidly [...]
The Project Car Tim Allen Doesn?t Want You to Know About
OK, so Tim Allen, currently the voice of Chevrolet, probably doesn’t mind us posting these photos of his ’55 Ford. Chevrolet might be paying some of the bills, but his love for Detroit iron isn’t reserved for just one brand. He’s been known to drive an LT5-powered Impala SS and this definitely isn’t Tim’s first [...]
$5 millon to win IndyCar finale at Vegas; non IndyCar drivers only need apply
This past February Randy Bernard, CEO of the IZOD IndyCar Series announced the 2011 season would end with a return to Las Vegas Motor Speedway featuring a unique 'hook' to entice other series' drivers to compete.
The hook (or lure, more appropriately) is a $5 million prize to any non-IndyCar regular who can beat Will Power, Dario Franchitti, Scott Dixon, Helio Castroneves, Ryan Hunter-Reay and the rest of the regular IndyCar regulars.
From a marketing and promotional standpoint, this promotion is brilliant. Bernard wants and needs to raise the awareness of IndyCar in order to compete with NASCAR for corporate sponsorship dollars, media exposure and especially the support of the American race fan -- all of which suffered tremendously as a result of the 1996 CART/IRL split.
If one or more drivers like Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya or Kyle Busch show up to compete, Bernard's scheme might be a home run.
But there are a few wrinkles that give me pause.
And I'll start with the aspect of this promotion that I like the least: the "new customers only" part.
Good for the current IndyCar drivers for taking one for the team and not squawking about their being shut out for a chance at $5 million. They get it. Their series needs to grow, they can't lose something they never had and besides, the chances of an interloper winning are very, very slim.
Still. I remember how I felt when, as a nine-year customer of DISH network, I was informed that their promotional offer for a free 36" CRT or 50" projection HD TV with the purchase of an HD subscription package was for new customers only.
Next is the fact that the 2011 IndyCar Championship may be decided at Las Vegas and no one wants to see a 'guest' driver impact the final standings. Or a series regular. Or a wall.
Most importantly, however, is the possible perception that driving an IndyCar is something any other 'qualified' driver can do and do well with just a little bit of practice.
One of the drivers mentioned as a possible $5 million dollar man is former motocrosser, multi-time X games champion, rally driver, daredevil and now fledgling NASCAR NNS driver Travis Pastrana. Does Travis Pastrana have the skill necessary to race at the top level of open wheel racing in America? Probably. As does former Champ Car winner A.J. Allmendinger, current NASCAR star and sprint car owner/occasional driver Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman, Scott Pruett and a number of other pilots.
But as a race fan who remembers when IndyCars were at the very, very top of the American motorsports ladder I disagree with the premise of inviting half a dozen superstars from other disciplines just to generate publicity. Especially at the last race of the season where a title and the spoils of a championship season are on the line.
As of now IndyCar has not revealed how many drivers have made inquiries or which racers Bernard & Co. will extend invitations to.
And truth be told this long-time, anything-with-wheels race fan is really looking forward to this race; not just for what happens after the green flag falls but for all the news and tests and revelations that will take place over the next few months in preparation for the race.
I relish the thought of Montoya, Pruett or even Memo Rojas getting in one of Chip Ganassi's cars and showing their stuff, just as I'd like to see Kurt Busch in a fourth Penske car or Simon Pagenaud in an Andretti Autosports entry.
But given a choice I'd rather see 'them vs. us' at the beginning or even towards the middle of the season, not at the IZOD IndyCar season finale and certainly not at the Las Vegas track. I truly hope this goes well but I don't want to see it reprised next year unless it's at the Indy 500 with a huge prize payout available to whomever crosses the finish line first.
Read More of Bill Tybur at his website: https://fmfl.net
The hook (or lure, more appropriately) is a $5 million prize to any non-IndyCar regular who can beat Will Power, Dario Franchitti, Scott Dixon, Helio Castroneves, Ryan Hunter-Reay and the rest of the regular IndyCar regulars.
From a marketing and promotional standpoint, this promotion is brilliant. Bernard wants and needs to raise the awareness of IndyCar in order to compete with NASCAR for corporate sponsorship dollars, media exposure and especially the support of the American race fan -- all of which suffered tremendously as a result of the 1996 CART/IRL split.
If one or more drivers like Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya or Kyle Busch show up to compete, Bernard's scheme might be a home run.
But there are a few wrinkles that give me pause.
And I'll start with the aspect of this promotion that I like the least: the "new customers only" part.
Good for the current IndyCar drivers for taking one for the team and not squawking about their being shut out for a chance at $5 million. They get it. Their series needs to grow, they can't lose something they never had and besides, the chances of an interloper winning are very, very slim.
Still. I remember how I felt when, as a nine-year customer of DISH network, I was informed that their promotional offer for a free 36" CRT or 50" projection HD TV with the purchase of an HD subscription package was for new customers only.
Next is the fact that the 2011 IndyCar Championship may be decided at Las Vegas and no one wants to see a 'guest' driver impact the final standings. Or a series regular. Or a wall.
Most importantly, however, is the possible perception that driving an IndyCar is something any other 'qualified' driver can do and do well with just a little bit of practice.
One of the drivers mentioned as a possible $5 million dollar man is former motocrosser, multi-time X games champion, rally driver, daredevil and now fledgling NASCAR NNS driver Travis Pastrana. Does Travis Pastrana have the skill necessary to race at the top level of open wheel racing in America? Probably. As does former Champ Car winner A.J. Allmendinger, current NASCAR star and sprint car owner/occasional driver Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman, Scott Pruett and a number of other pilots.
But as a race fan who remembers when IndyCars were at the very, very top of the American motorsports ladder I disagree with the premise of inviting half a dozen superstars from other disciplines just to generate publicity. Especially at the last race of the season where a title and the spoils of a championship season are on the line.
As of now IndyCar has not revealed how many drivers have made inquiries or which racers Bernard & Co. will extend invitations to.
And truth be told this long-time, anything-with-wheels race fan is really looking forward to this race; not just for what happens after the green flag falls but for all the news and tests and revelations that will take place over the next few months in preparation for the race.
I relish the thought of Montoya, Pruett or even Memo Rojas getting in one of Chip Ganassi's cars and showing their stuff, just as I'd like to see Kurt Busch in a fourth Penske car or Simon Pagenaud in an Andretti Autosports entry.
But given a choice I'd rather see 'them vs. us' at the beginning or even towards the middle of the season, not at the IZOD IndyCar season finale and certainly not at the Las Vegas track. I truly hope this goes well but I don't want to see it reprised next year unless it's at the Indy 500 with a huge prize payout available to whomever crosses the finish line first.
Read More of Bill Tybur at his website: https://fmfl.net
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