Over three decades, the name “Winston Cup” has become synonymous with top-level stock-car racing. So why would any company pay millions to be the second act to one of American sports’ most enduring sponsorships? “That’s one of the challenges that NASCAR’s facing in bringing in a replacement sponsor,” said William Chipps, senior editor of the IEG Sponsorship Report, a sports industry newsletter. “It’s going to take a long time before people stop calling it the Winston Cup.” According to an informal survey of sports-business sources, candidates range from the predictable – major fast food chains and soft drink companies – to the unexpected. Dean Bonham, head of Denver’s The Bonham Group, believes a financial services or high-technology company would be well-served by the association with NASCAR, which would offer a chance to interact with potential customers in a sophisticated way. Marc Ganis of Chicago’s Sportscorp Ltd. leans toward traditional mass marketers, particularly those with a large presence in NASCAR’s southeastern stronghold. He named Home Depot and Lowe’s, Coca-Cola and Pepsi as natural candidates. And several sources said they see a Wal-Mart deal as unlikely, given that the company has not been known to spend at that level in the sports marketing field. Finally, just as RJR has attributed its decision to leave NASCAR to financial difficulties, similar problems might keep a company like McDonald’s from anteing up the tens of millions of dollars NASCAR will expect for the sponsorship. Many have speculated that in the wake of RJR’s departure, NASCAR will want to avoid revolving-door sponsors and will rename the series after a top racing figure like Richard Petty or Dale Earnhardt. The series would then be “presented by” a title sponsor.(in part from the Charlotte Observer/AP )(3-5-2003)
