Tim Sauter and the #19 BGN team are trying to attract a marketing partner for the 2003 season and Sauter’s come up with a unique concept to help push that search along. For all interested parties in next year’s campaign, he is offering the rest of this year “Free of Charge.” Sauter’s offer is simple. Sign up with the team for the 2003 season, or show serious interest in the possibility of being a part of next season, and you can have the rest of this season at no cost. In recent weeks, Sauter and his AP Performance Team announced plans to cease operations after this successful season if sponsorship help cannot be found by the end of the calendar year.. That is a tough pill to swallow for Sauter, who has taken the start-up operation from nothing and turned it into a front-running team in NASCAR’s Busch Series. Sauter has accomplished this by doing everything with the team, from running day-to-day operations to driving the car. “The deal is pretty plain and simple,” states Sauter. “If there is some company out there that really wants to get involved with a top-notch Busch Series program, but they are teetering on the edge of making that decision or not, we will give them the opportunity to get a taste of what it is like. If they are really serious about it, then we will put their name on the car and allow them to see what a small portion of or our primary marketing plan can do for them. My hope is that helping them see what it is like will be just what they need to push them over the top in making a decision to go racing with us in 2003.” Sauter is quick to point out, however, that this offer is also good for a company that already knows they want to sponsor a car for 2003. Two free races with a top-flight NASCAR team, in the number two motorsports series in the country, is worth a lot to any company. Tim has had several one-race deals during the season, partnering up with Mac Tools, Cox Communications, St. Jude Research Hospital, West Virginia Tourism and Loctite.. All were a big help for a team that is funding itself out of pocket, but still not enough to be able to compete with the top teams on the circuit, who have sponsors in the $4-6 million range. For all interested parties, please contact either Tim directly at (704) 658-9832 (shop) or team representative Jeremy Troiano at (704) 726-6849 (cell) to discuss the possibilities.(11-6-2002)
