Sponsors are in for the long ride

0 Comments | USA TODAY, July, 2008 | by Nate Ryan

Dodge doesn't have a Sprint Cup driver with as many victories this season as Toyota's Kyle Busch (seven) or Ford's Carl Edwards (three). But Mike Accavitti, Dodge's director of marketing communications, says he felt as if his company had trumped its rival automakers when he recently saw a truck sporting flags with the Nos. 18 (Busch) and 99 (Edwards).

The banners sprouted from a new Dodge Ram.

"I'd rather have that fan driving our $35,000 truck than flying our $5 flags," Accavitti says, with a laugh, noting Dodge research shows NASCAR fans are 50% more likely to buy a truck. "It isn't just Dodge fans that buy our product. Like any consumer group, they'll buy the best value."

With four manufacturers each spending an estimated $100 million-plus...