With sponsorship dollars getter scarce, NASCAR Busch and Winston Cup driver Kevin Lepage has placed his Matrix Motorsports operation on the auction block, but not to sell equipment. Lepage is seeking sponsorship money to restart his NASCAR Busch team and to field cars in the premier Winston Cup series at selected venues. Lepage, a veteran of over 315 NASCAR races with an excellent driving record and competitive finishes, has had trouble landing a sponsor and sat out the entire 2002 season as a driver/owner. He did drive for Brewco Motorsports as a substitute driver for a good portion of 2002 filling in for injured Jeff Purvis. A recent limited-race sponsor deal went sour, so hes determined to try whatever it takes to get his team back on the track in 2003. At the newly launched www.SponsorshipCentral.com website, potential sponsors register and become anonymous bidders by selecting from among the sponsorship packages offered by participating race teams. The website went online March 6 and was created by 200mph Media, a motorsports marketing company based in North Carolina, and offers race teams like Lepages the opportunity to post seasonal and event-specific packages. The unique feature of this process lets teams auction off advertising decal spots on the car individually, increasing the likelihood of getting sponsorship. Normally, race teams send elaborate and expensive proposals to companies and businesses on a blind basis to market themselves, not knowing if the recipients are interested in motorsports sponsorship or not. By way of SponsorshipCentral.com, race teams speed up the presentation process and companies participate in a way which avoids their being inundated with phone calls and proposals. No team knows who bidders are until the auction is successfully completed. Lepages team website is www.kevinlepaginc.com.(200mph Media PR)(3-17-2003)
