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Sponsorship in the
Winston Cup Series has taken on two forms over the past five years.
The first are the more traditional sponsorships of Budweiser and
Coors where the car is held to a single brand throughout the entire
season. The second, which is gaining in popularity, is more like the
Newell/Rubbermaid sponsorship of the #97 Ford driven by Kurt Busch.
Newell/Rubbermaid has spread the cost of sponsoring a Winston Cup
operation among the many different divisions. The most recent to
join the motor sports marketing effort is Irwin Industrial Tools.
Irwin paint and decals will adorn the car for four events starting
with the Pepsi 400 in July at Daytona International Speedway and
continuing in events at Chicago Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway
and Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
Sponsorship on the Busch Series also takes on many forms. Some car
owners will accept almost any deal to keep the car on the racetrack.
The now defunct Toys R Us Chevrolet was never funded directly by
Toys R Us. The deal traded shelf space in the company stores for
exposure on the race car. Sell enough toys and everyone stays happy.
Apparently not enough toys left the shelves and the deal fell apart
bringing an end to the team.
The #60 Odo Ban Ford, driven by stuntman Stanton Barrett, was a deal
that was short on cash, long on credit but high on effectiveness.
Geoff Smith, President of Roush Racing, explained credit was
extended to Odo Ban as the company worked to expand outside the
industrial market into the consumer market. At the end of the 15
races Odo Ban was faced with a need to direct capital expenditures
towards purchasing the raw materials needed to manufacturer a
product with a sudden and large increase in demand.
Smith is confident once the company builds a marketing plan to
complement their desire to be involved in motor sports they will
return to the #60 along with Stanton Barrett. In the meantime, Smith
believes the #60 will be back on the racetrack with possibly Jeff
Burton at the wheel.
A couple of trucks in the Craftsman Truck Series round out an
extensive set of programs at Roush Racing, however those teams have
a “poor” chance of finishing the season in the series. Jon Wood and
Carl Edwards may well find themselves racing out the season as
full-timers on the Busch Series. However, it is equally possible
that the two will mix and match Craftsman Truck and Busch Series
events through the end of 2003 with a focus on running full time in
2004. Smith says the company is committed to keeping both Woods and
Edwards in the Roush Racing family of drivers.
The author can be contacted
stanc@autoracing1.com
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