Our new feature, NASCAR talk, is off to a roaring start.
I know nothing about NASCAR. So I have a question for our commenters based on their comments below on the Tony Stewart thread:
Why do NASCAR fans care about which sponsors attach themselves to a particular team? Why is it important?
Question 2: Anyone know who Tony Stewart is kissing in the photo above? I'm not conducting a quiz here. I really don't know.
Comments (3)
Photo Caption: NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Tony Stewart kisses Sprint Speed Ambassador Anne-Marie Rhodes after kissing the bricks following his Allstate 400 win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, July 29, 2007
As for the sponsorships... I personally like to buy and use products that endorse or sponsor my favorite drivers. It's all about fan loyalty. There are also certain associations I make with some sponsors. Like, to me it's going to be interesting to see if anyone else becomes the Home Depot driver because Tony Stewart has been it for so long. As a Kahne fan, I was excited for him to be the new Budweiser guy, because for so long Dale Jr. had built up this great All-American Bud Guy image. It was neat to see Kahne step into those shoes. Also, a lot of non-NASCAR watchers associate sponsors with a car or team. When I talk to some of my non-NASCAR friends, sometimes I have to use phrases like: "You know...the M&M's guy!!!" and then they'll say "Ohhhh I saw him on a commercial" or "Ohhh I saw him on ESPN"
Thanks.
Non-NASCAR fans will commonly argue that NASCAR is not a team sport but they are very wrong. As much as drivers are trying to bust their asses and win the race every week, race teams as a whole are trying to figure out the perfect set-ups from the day they pull into the garage area to the minute they leave after the race on Sunday. Strategies are passed along within teams as well. I don't know where I'm going with this but sponsorship on a car and on a driver's suit is like a team logo. It's what a NASCAR fan thinks when they see that product in the store, a store itself, or that company advertised; they think about the driver. When they see a Lowe's, they think Jimmie Johnson. When they see Budweiser on the shelf, they think Kasey Kahne. It's an association with the sport that you see EVERY SINGLE DAY OF YOUR LIFE, not just on the weekends. The off-season in NASCAR (or what there is of one) is like the off-season in the NFL; just like "Who's getting traded?", Who's getting signed?" In NASCAR it's: "Who's driving where?", "Who's getting a new sponsor?" It's part of the sport and a HUGE part at that.