Kobalt Tools, the Lowe’s brand that was considered the leader to be the title sponsor of the NASCAR truck series, has withdrawn from the bidding, sources say. Craftsman is in its final season as the title sponsor. With Kobalt stepping away, the door is open for Craftsman to renew its status as the official tool of NASCAR, which the brand had hoped to retain even though it was not renewing title sponsorship of the series.(Sports Business Daily), hearing Craftsman may return as the sponsor of the Truck Series.(8-8-2008)
UPDATE UPS? NASCAR isn’t back to square one in its search, but it is finding the proceedings slow in the current economy. Its asking price for entitlement is believed to be in the $5 million to $7 million range per year. “There is strong interest in title sponsorship of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and we are meeting with potential partners. NASCAR is focused on finding the best partner to continue to grow a series that’s important to the sport and our fans,” said Andrew Giangola, NASCAR’s director of communications.” “I don’t read anything into that from a sign of the sport, it’s just the economy’s bad. It’s not the world’s greatest time to be the marketplace looking for a long-term, multimillion-dollar deal,” said Zak Brown, CEO and founder of Just Marketing, an Indianapolis-based marketing group with various motorsports clients. “All they can do, which is what I know they’re doing, is just keep their head down and keep trying. With that platform, marketers say, NASCAR is eager to land a sponsor, but the lack of one so far doesn’t raise a black flag on the series. Where might that deal lead? Brown said the likely candidates remain companies that would fit the rugged, masculine image of the Truck Series, not unlike the current sponsor, Craftsman. One of his clients — UPS, a company famous for its trucks — is said to be intrigued and looking at the series. Yet an announcement appears to still be weeks away, leaving fans, teams and manufacturers in a wait-and-see mode to discover which company will carry the Truck Series into the next decade. “Our assumption is that there will be a replacement sponsor contracted within the next two to three months, that’s the assumption we’re operating under,” said Les Unger, national motorsports manager for Toyota. “The series is still extremely popular. I think there are opportunities for a potential sponsor to jump in with both feet.”(ESPN)(8-14-2008)
UPDATE 2 Camping World? Saying his company has enjoyed its first year as an official NASCAR sponsor, Camping World Director of Motorsports Kurt Hunt says that it wouldn’t be “outside the realm of possibility” that his company would replace Craftsman as sponsor of NASCAR’s truck series beginning in 2009. Camping World is in its first year of sponsoring the NASCAR East and NASCAR West series. “It has been a great experience,” Hunt said in a phone interview about Camping World’s involvement in NASCAR. “[The truck series] is something we have looked at. Companion races are great [and] there are some markets where it is the top show in a market where we have a large concentration of fans and customers.” Hunt said there is no timetable and he wouldn’t characterize the talks as in the negotiation phase. Camping World sponsors a truck and Nationwide Series car at Kevin Harvick Inc. as well as serving as an associate sponsor of a Richard Childress Racing Nationwide car. It also has entered into a variety of race entitlements. If Camping World became the sponsor of the trucks, the company would have to consider whether to continue sponsoring the East and West series, Hunt said.(Scene Daily)(8-16-2008)
UPDATE 3 Harvick comments: Kevin Harvick said he’ll understand if Camping World decides to take its money from his team and sponsor what is now the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series next year. Harvick’s Kevin Harvick Inc. truck and Nationwide Series teams currently have a relationship with Camping World. In the past, Harvick has criticized NASCAR for stealing sponsors from race teams, but he said Friday that this situation is different. Harvick noted that Camping World’s race sponsorships – several races have been named for Camping World this year, including consecutive Sprint Cup races at Dover and Kansas – have helped that company reach more potential customers. NASCAR officials say nothing has been decided yet and Camping World is simply in the mix as one of the potential sponsors for the truck series. Harvick said Camping World is signed through 2009 to remain as the sponsor of Ron Hornaday’s #33 truck and that will not change. However, he said KHI will likely need to fill a 14-race sponsorship hole on its Nationwide team if Camping World departs. “Camping World has been involved in a lot of entitlements and things, and I want them to do what’s best for them as a sponsor,” Harvick said. “Understanding where everything comes from and how it works, it sounds for them like they think that’s a better avenue. So that’s OK.”(SceneDaily.com)(9-26-2008)
