Sponsor Turned Down for the #27? heard this was reported in Friday’s Sports Business Daily: Before signing a sponsor yesterday, Eel River Raicng sought a six-figure sponsorship deal with Sportsbook.com, a gambling Web site, for last weekend’s The Winston, but was not allowed by NASCAR to sign the deal. NASCAR Dir of Operations Kevin Triplett told THE DAILY NASCAR did not approve the sponsorship because “there are a lot of things in that category that are still unknown. Is it strictly a gambling site? Is it based outside the country? There were a lot of things we had questions about.” Triplett noted NASCAR had only a few days to make the decision: “(Doing) things in a hurry, in a matter of a few days, that’s not the way we make decisions.” Triplett said he typically discusses potential sponsorships with members of the NASCAR BOD and the competition department, since they “are all involved in what happens in the garage area.” NASCAR also denied Eel River’s request for Sportsbook.com to sponsor Wallace’s car at the Coca-Cola 600. Triplett: “There is not a lot that will happen in four days that will make you change your mind”(5-26-2001)
