McDonalds has confirmed a Bloomberg Report that theyve seen a presentation by NASCAR to sponsor its elite national touring series, but a deal that could consume 20-30% of the fast food chains total advertising and marketing budget hasnt gone very far up the corporate ladder. McDonalds has been downsizing its racing programs for some years and just turned in the first-ever quarterly loss for the restaurant company. One source close to the McDonalds A&M program says a potential $40 million annual payment to NASCAR for title rights and similar payment to the television partners is likely not in the cards. The representative added, But Im not sure who has that kind of money to invest in a single program NASCAR or not. McDonalds would need the support of its national franchisees to write the estimated $80 million annual investment to NASCAR. However, many franchises stores are closing with others downsizing.( Ford Racing )(4-27-2003)
