SPRINT Extends Cup Sponsorship Through 2016
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It's back!!!!!!!!!!!!
Forum Activity for @dave-fulton
SPRINT Extends Cup Sponsorship Through 2016
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I knew there was something wrong with PKL's post... no aqua!
SPRINT Extends Cup Sponsorship Through 2016
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Apparently nobody else with deep pockets stepped up to the plate.
Dec 3, 1:17 AM EST
Sprint signs extension with NASCAR's top series
By JENNA FRYER
AP Auto Racing Writer
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Sprint announced a three-year contract extension Friday night with NASCAR to remain the title sponsor of the elite Cup Series through at least 2016.
Sprint CEO Dan Hesse announced the extension late in NASCAR's season-ending awards ceremony at Wynn Las Vegas Resort.
He praised the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup championship as the best ever since its 2004 inception.
"Congratulations to all of the drivers and teams who contributed to the excitement of this amazing series," Hesse said on stage. "Your passion for the sport and commitment to excellence continue to wow us."
Steve Gaffney, vice president of corporate marketing for Sprint, said after that Hesse's enthusiasm was evidence how valuable NASCAR is to the company and an indicator the company will want to continue the relationship beyond 2016.
Gaffney, who wouldn't discuss the financials of the extension, said Sprint never considered not continuing the NASCAR partnership.
"I'd say the Sprint Cup relationship for us is not only about branding, but it's also about the number of fans who show us their loyalty by becoming customers," Gaffney said. "Not only do they become customers, but they are our most valuable customers. I'd say that overall, we see this as bottom line revenues to the company in terms of new customers and valuable customers.
"As we were looking through the negotiation period and considering the relationship and the success we've had over the last eight years ... it probably wasn't an option for us not to do it. It's too important for us."
The current 10-year contract Sprint signed with NASCAR was set to expire at the end of the 2013 season, but negotiations on an extension had been going on for some time. Sprint officials indicated during the Nov. 20 season finale that they were close to announcing a new deal.
NASCAR's chief marketing officer Steve Phelps said closing the extension with Sprint would likely help teams in their sponsorship searches. The rough economy has made finding funding difficult, particularly for smaller teams, and the old business model of one company signing up for a full 38-race schedule is falling to the wayside.
Many teams are now cobbling together as many packages as they can and former series champion Matt Kenseth, who finished fourth in the Chase this season, has no sponsor lined up for next season. Although car owner Jack Roush has said he'll fund Kenseth's car out of pocket, he last week began laying off employees in anticipation of not fielding his so-far unsponsored No. 6 Ford driven by David Ragan in 2012.
"For our entitlement partner and our largest sponsor in the sport to come back and essentially renew early, for us, is huge," Phelps said. "I think it provides us with a lot of wind at our back and help those teams that are still looking for sponsorship."
On behalf of Sprint, Hesse presented champion Tony Stewart with a check for $5.8 million.
2011 The Associated Press.
updated by @dave-fulton: 04/02/17 10:27:36AM
Most Popular Driver... Ho hum
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PK, Give Alexis Leras, former head of PR for NASCAR who was hired by Harry Melling and moved to Dawsonville from Daytona ALL the credit for organizing the Bill Elliott Fan Club and orchestrating the fan voting when it began. She was simply awesome. Dan was as outgoing, personable and funny as Bill was reclusive. Lots of times Ernie didn't even come to the track.
Most Popular Driver... Ho hum
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For instance I don't see Bill Elliott ever winning a driver vote "back in the day" for Most Popular. At that point in time, from my own personal observations, Bill Elliott was having absolutely no contact with fellow competitors. As soon as he came in the garage, he was on a creeper under the car, not socializing. At the same time Dale Earnhardt, who was also not winning any votes from fellow competitors, was either in the back of his transporter asleep in his hammock or trying to figure how to get out of the garage and go hunting. Darrell was busy with personal appearances or off running his mouth. The two guys who were always around to answer the questions of young drivers and help them any way they could - Richard Petty and Bobby Allison - were also the two drivers being voted Most Popular by their fellow competitors. No slam against Elliott, Earnhardt or Waltrip, but no way were they going to win a driver vote when Petty and Allison were in the garage helping their fellow competitors. Eliott won his first MPD title the first year of the fan vote. The fans didn't care that he snubbed all the other drivers, kept to himself, and had Alexis deal with the media rather than face the media himself. A different day.
Most Popular Driver... Ho hum
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I would never question Dale Junior's popularity. That is obvious. My comments above reference the change from the drivers themselves voting for the award to the "public" vote. When Harry Melling enticed Alexis Leras to move from Ormond Beach to Dawsonville, GA (after having been NASCAR PR Director prior to the now imprisonned Chip Williams) and take over PR/Marketing duties for his team, Alexis set the standard for creating a driver fan club and rallying it through various means to stuff the ballot boxes for MPD. My hat is off to her and the magnificient job she did laying the groundwork for how to win the voting tally. Dale Jr. was the Most Popular Driver when racing lost Dale Senior before Junior turned another lap. I sure don't dislike Dale, Jr. My girls used to swim in the motel pools and play little matchbox cars with him when we were on the road. His popularity is of no question. However, back when Major League Baseball changed the All-Star game voting to a fan vote, the game lost most of its meaning and today is a snoozer watched by few. I equate that to NASCAR's MPD vote today.
Most Popular Driver... Ho hum
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I was there that day for the 1979 Southern 500. Two things brought the fans to their feet that day:
!) David winning the race in the Osterlund car
2) DW literally falling asleep at the wheel with a HUGE, commanding lead and smacking the wall, opening the way for the Silver Fox. When DW hit the wall, you could hear the cheering over the cars.
Most Popular Driver... Ho hum
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The "fan" vote for Most Popular Driver began in 1984. From 1956-1983 the drivers in each NASCAR seriesvoted on the award. It really did mean something then. Here's who the NASCAR drivers voted as THEIR most popular:
Grand National/Winston Cup/Nextel Cup/Sprint Cup(that still sounds like an open wheel series, doesn't it?)
1956 - Curtis Turner
1957 -Fireball Roberts
1958 - Glen Wood
1959 - Junior Johnson
1960 - Rex White
1961 - Joe Weatherly
1962 - Richard Petty
1963 - Fred Lorenzen
1964 - Richard Petty
1965 - Fred Lorenzen
1966 - Darel Dieringer
1967 - Cale Yarborough
1968 - Richard Petty
1969 - Bobby Isaac
1970 - Richard Petty
1971 - Bobby Allison
1972 - Bobby Allison
1973 - Bobby Allison
1974 - Richard Petty
1975 - Richard Petty
1976 - Richard Petty
1977 - Richard Petty
1978 - Richard Petty
1979 - David Pearson
1980 - Bobby Allison
1981 - Bobby Allison
1982 - Bobby Allison
1983 - Bobby Allison
For what it's worth, Richard Petty at 9 times and Bobby Allison at 7 times lead the voting by their driving peers as Most Popular.
Little known fact: Only ONE driver has ever been voted by his peers as Most Popular Driver in two different NASCAR series in the same year. In 1977, Harry Gant of Taylorsville, NC was voted Most Popular Driver in both the Late Model Sportsman series and the Modified Series by the drivers in those respective divisions. Quite an honor for Handsome Harry who only ran a couple of modified events. No other NASCAR driver has ever been voted Most Popular in two different series in the same year, before or since, by the other drivers or by the "fans" (fan clubs).
Most Popular Driver... Ho hum
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I could care less. It used to mean something back in the day when the actual competitors voted in each NASCAR Series - GN, Modified, Sportsman - for the "Most Popular Driver" in their respective division. Those lists make fascinating reading. The award lost all meaning when it went "public" and the Bill Elliott/Howdy Doodyfan club year after year was allowed to swamp the ballot box with multiple votes.
After all my years at Wrangler Jeans, I did, however, appreciate a CNN Newscaster yesterday stating that Earnhardt's award must of been due to his Wrangler Jeans TV commercials versus his racetrack performance. That's the kind of "pop" a minor personal servicessponsor dreams of. I'm sure it wasn't appreciated by the major beverage company sponsoring Mr. Junior, however.