NASCAR Teams – Take a Stand!
Everyone is aware that a severe sponsor recession is hitting the NASCAR industry. But many are blaming the broader economic crisis as opposed to examining the dreadful trends eroding the NASCAR value proposition. NASCAR is facing a steady drop in television viewership, race attendance and overall fan interest, and the costs to operate a Sprint Cup team has almost tripled since 2002.
Danica Patrick to NASCAR…Hendrick Motorsports?
Rumors are running rampant that Danica Patrick is going to jump from IndyCar to NASCAR. Is this a negotiating tactic with Andretti Green Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing? Or is she seriously considering a move to stock car racing. One must wonder why the poster child of IndyCar Racing would take the risk and make a move to NASCAR, which undisputedly, is crumbling as I speak. I can image NASCAR dangling HUGE financial incentives and prepackage endorsements, but why take the risk?
The Death Spiral Continues….NASCAR on Fox
According to Sports Media Watch, FOX has its lowest rated NASCAR season ever.
A year of declines has concluded with FOX drawing its lowest average rating for NASCAR since the net began airing races in ‘01.
Excluding the rain delayed Coca Cola 600, 12 NASCAR races averaged a 5.1/11 rating and 8.5 million viewers on FOX during the 2009 season, down 11% in ratings and 9% in viewers from a 5.7/12 and 9.3 million last year, and the lowest rated season ever for NASCAR on FOX.
Chrysler Bankruptcy: The Future of NASCAR Teams Hang in the Balance
Questioning the future of Dodge’s continuing involvement in NASCAR is nothing new – back in September 2008, I wrote about the pending withdrawal of Dodge from NASCAR and unfortunately this appears to be the plan for 2010.
NASCAR’s Business Model Hits the Wall
The Associated Press (AP) has reported Brian France, CEO of NASCAR, has directed his management to work with teams in developing new business models that can help them withstand the current economic crisis. As we are all aware, NASCAR teams rely on corporate sponsorship to fund the majority of their operating budgets, which is substantially [...]
Need More Clarification? – NASCAR in Crisis
Over the past several weeks, I have been inundated with inquiries about a variety of topics that I have discussed about the state of NASCAR and the sponsorship crisis. I feel compelled to address and clarify some of my previous statements and respond to a recurring theme of certain readers’ comments.
Many of the NASCAR faithful [...]
Robby Gordon and Jim Beam Team Up to Support Our Troops
I typically do not publish press releases but I believe Robby Gordon Motorsports (RGM) and Jim Beam should be commended for their efforts to support our troops and their families. Starting tomorrow – on Election Day, RGM and Jim Beam will launch an online charity auction giving racing fans and all Americans the opportunity to [...]
The Failing NASCAR Economy: A Time for Action!
Most will agree that the current economic recession will have a significant financial impact on NASCAR teams and the sport as a whole – but does it really need to be this way? In 2009, there will be significantly less Sprint Cup teams competing on a weekly basis – and yet, in economic downturns other [...]
NASCAR Must Embrace New Media: Proposal Attached
Over the past several months, as the advertising market has become increasingly more challenging, I have written numerous posts about the need for NASCAR and Sprint Cup teams to evolve and innovate to stay competitive in the corporate boardrooms. In my posts NASCAR 2.0 and NASCAR Sponsorship 2.0, I discussed opportunities to generate revenues [...]
Survival of the Fittest? – NASCAR Teams Look to Consolidation
The global credit crisis may be slowing the M&A markets of Corporate America, however, mergers and acquisitions remain all the buzz in NASCAR. Back in July, I wrote Team Consolidation on the Horizon and it appears more likely than ever that Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) led by Robert Kauffman will acquire [...]
Dodge Exits the NASCAR Truck Series
The first domino has fallen in the shakeup with the Big 3 automotive manufacturers’ involvement in NASCAR. The exit announcement by Dodge is the latest blow to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series which has yet to find a title sponsor to replace Craftsman in 2009 and beyond. In 2009, Dodge will not provide any [...]
BMW Sauber F1 Eyeing Alonso
Unlike, the NASCAR Silly Season of 2008, Formula 1 hasn’t seen any real drama or excitement with driver swaps and changes as the paddock prepares for the 2009 season. But is that about to change?
As many F1 enthusiasts know, Fernando Alonso is calculating and plotting his next career move in order to place him [...]
ESPN Expands its Global Digital Media Presence
Earlier this week, ESPN expanded its motorsports digital content business through the acquisition of Racing-Live.com. Racing-Live.com covers Formula 1 (F1-Live.com), Moto GP; Superbike (Moto-Live.com), Rally (Rally-Live.com), off road Rallies (Raid-Live.com), Endurance Sports-Cars and Kart racing.
This announcement follows the acquisition of Jayski, a NASCAR gossip site in 2007. Racing-Live.com strengthens ESPN’s global business and provides a [...]
A Dream Turned Realty – Making History with Toyota
Today marks the 4th anniversary of Toyota’s first NASCAR Victory during the Line-x 200 at Michigan International Speedway — (July 31, 2004). It was the 13th race for Toyota and my race team (Bang Racing). That historic day in NASCAR; also became a day I will not soon forget. Toyota and I made NASCAR [...]
NASCAR 2.0 – Online Advertising Soaring
In my posting NASCAR Sponsorship 2.0, I previously discussed how teams have a real opportunity to leverage their “content” through digital channels creating supplemental advertising revenue to offset their losses in traditional on-the-car sponsorship. Some may ask, is there really an opportunity in digital advertising for NASCAR teams? A recent report from eMarketer, projects online [...]
Shelby SuperCars – World’s Fastest Electric Car
Shelby SuperCars is introducing the Ultimate Aero Electric Car that has over 500hp and can go in excess of 200 mph.
Conventional wisdom wouldn’t immediately associate Shelby SuperCars as an innovator of alternative energy cars, but maybe this announcement should not surprise us. As one of the leading innovators in new car technologies, they are [...]
The Future of the NASCAR Truck Series
When I reflect back to 2004, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series was on top of the world. This resulted in part from unprecedented levels of financial commitments from the Big 3 American automotive manufacturers and the grand entrance of Toyota into NASCAR. Because GM, Ford and Dodge made every effort to fend off Toyota Motorsports’ [...]
NASCAR Sponsorship 2.0
Over the past few years corporate marketing and advertising budgets have made a dramatic shift from Old Media towards New Media, which provides measurable customer acquisition with a recognizable ROI. Today, current NASCAR Sponsorship programs are structured much like Old Media, which fails to present corporate marketers with the value presented through “new media” [...]
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Bang Racing Digital Media eBay Hendrick Motorsports Joe Gibbs Racing Michael Waltrip NASCAR NASCAR Corp NASCAR Corporate NASCAR Sponsorship NASCAR Sponsorship 2.0 New Media Old Media RaceWorld Roush Fenway Racing Sports Toyota Motorsports Web 2.0 YouTube
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Update: GM Cutting Back on NASCAR Spending
According to the Associated Press (AP) today, General Motors officially announced their first round of motorsports spending cuts. Troubled General Motors has notified two racetracks that operate NASCAR events that their current contracts will not be renewed as part of an overall $10 billion cost-cutting program.
Speedway Motorsports Inc., which owns eight tracks that hold NASCAR [...]
Cost-Cutting at GM Racing – NASCAR a Branding Problem?
The day is fast approaching when the automotive manufacturers are going to reign in their motorsports budgets to reflect the current state of the automotive industry. The fundamental issue with NASCAR as a branding tool for the car companies is that it fails to demonstrate the future product portfolio and demands for “green” vehicles.
Even though [...]
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