During the broadcast of "Racin' The Way It Was" on Tuesday night, March 23rd, there was a discussion about the reaction of a specific sponsor of a specific driver who to the actions taken by that driver in the Atlanta race earlier in the month. From reports, the sponsor has let it be known that it does not prefer to have a representative of their product conduct himself is such a negative way. Admittedly, I think that sponsor waited for fan reaction (which was for the most part quite adverse to the interest of the driver in question) before issuing the reprimand, but the end result was letting it be known that there are requirements of those who take sponsor money. Part of the requirements is to represent the company (sponsor) in the best possible light.

Unless you have been under a rock, or on another planet, you have certainly heard of the woes of a specific professional golfer and the withdrawal of certain sponsorships from that golfer because of his "off course" activities. While what he did cannot be morally justified under any circumstance, if he was just a weekend golfer, it would be between him and his wife only. But, accepting the millions in endorsements it requires a certain obligation to represent those sponsors in the most positive light possible, being ever aware that there are kids and teenagers who idolize you. The golfer is "sorry" but it is more sorry for being caught in his actions than anything else. At least our race driver admits he acted with purpose and intent, further, I would think, embarrassing sponsors seeking a positive image and kids seeking a positive role model.

Having said all that, the issue here is having the kind of representative to make a company not only experience a monetary return on it's sponsorship investment, but also a positve interaction with fans and the sporting world. Enter race driver Free Pennington. Free and his organization, Free American Racing, are the complete package a sponsor can only dream about. Driving talent, professional attitude in everything, and most of all, an extremely positive presentation of a sponsors product.

So, I don't work for Free Pennington, or Free American Racing. I will not get paid by Free Pennington of Free American Racing, so why am I taking the time to write this? With the hope that there are companies out there which still believe in the things that a true hero should be to kids. The kind of guy who takes the time, makes positive things happen, and who truly believes in the good in all.

But be forewarned! Free American Racing is not open to just any sponsorship offering money. Sponsors must meet the standards of Free American Racing which are the SAME standards any respectable company would hope to present.

If you're an marketing genius looking for the next big thing for a major national company, I'm telling you that Free Pennington is the man with whom you need to talk. Or you can e-mail me and I'll tell you exactly what a great man I think he is.