Living the NASCAR life: can you exist on nothing but products involved with NASCAR? Our intrepid reported finds out

Sporting News, The, April 29, 2005 by Matt Crossman

More is known about how much sponsors pay to be on cars. The cost varies depending on the team and driver, with more prominent teams drawing bigger fees. The major teams--Earnhardt Jr., Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson--get up to $20 million each from their primary sponsors.

The sponsors pay those fees for exposure ... and access to fans' Velcro wallets. The fans' loyalty, to the sport and to drivers, is legendary. NASCAR says its fans are three times more likely to buy a sponsor's product over a nonsponsor's. "I will not drink a Coke," a Gordon fan told me. "If I go to a fast food restaurant and they do not sell Pepsi, I get water." When she buys gas, she rounds off cents at 24, Gordon's car number.

You won't hear me diss fans, but I will speak truth in love. NASCAR fans buy some stupid things. NASCAR has many official, licensed and sponsor's products that make the world a better place, such as the Domino's (official pizza delivery) pepperoni pizza I ate Friday. But there are a ton of items carrying the NASCAR logo that make you wonder.

Take talking NASCAR bottle openers, which are sure to cause the collapse of the U.S. economy. Talking NASCAR bottle openers are a lot like puffy vests, the kind made famous by Robin Williams in Mork & Mindy. Just as there's absolutely no reason to buy a coat with no sleeves, there's absolutely no reason to buy a talking NASCAR bottle opener. If you buy either, you have too much money and you're just spending it willy-nilly. That kind of spending always leads to an economic crisis.

These boots are made for hawking

The Busch race at Bristol was rained out Saturday--April in Tennessee is supposed to be lovely, but it was freezing. I never thought the weather would be so bad, so I didn't have a NASCAR winter coat. At least my feet stayed warm and dry, thanks to my Timberland PRO boots (Busch Series team sponsor).

NASCAR has no official shoe, and there are no major teams with a shoe sponsor. I had never heard of Timberland PRO's deal before, and neither had several NASCAR people I asked as I tried to find shoes.

Jim O'Connor of Timberland says it doesn't bother him that his sponsorship gets little attention; it's more important to him to leverage his NASCAR relationship with retailers. When Timberland PRO runs a big promotion, the retailer is more likely to give it prime space because of the NASCAR tie-in. Similarly, one of the goals of Checkers/Rally's (official burger and drivethrough) is to attract franchisees through its connection to NASCAR.

Best Western also multi-tasks its NASCAR relationship. The company sponsors a Busch car, has business-to-business deals with other sponsors and runs numerous programs targeted at race fans, including a website (bestwesternracing.com). Says David Scholefield, vice president of North American sales and motorsports marketing: "You can't enter any sports marketing relationship and pretend to play."

Other companies use NASCAR to promote specific product lines. While getting ready for the weekend, I suggested to Levi's that my regular Levi's would suffice. A few days later, six pairs of Levi's Signature Series arrived on my doorstep.