View From The Couch

With so many changes in the NASCAR world in recent years, it’s easy to assume all the changes are for the worst. When Nationwide was announced as the new title sponsor of NASCAR’s second tier series, it was met by many fans with a suspicious squint. It didn’t help matters when they asked fellow car insurer Geico to leave the sport within two years. But that doesn’t mean that Nationwide was not a good move for NASCAR and their second tier series. Last week as part of the NASCAR Sprint Series Media Tour, Nationwide hosted a breakfast to
announce several new initiatives for the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series. John Aman, strategic sponsorship officer for Nationwide gave some insight into the sponsor’s plans for the series.

On emerging from Anheuser-Busch’s shadow:

We know that out of habit, it will be easy to refer to the series by its
former name. Nationwide will be placing “name jars” at tracks, shops and
other sites across the NASCAR community. Throughout the 2008 season,
we’re asking folks to drop a dollar into the jar every time they let the
old name slip. At the end of the season we’ll match the money collected
and donate it to the NASCAR Foundation. We know we’re the new kid on the
block, but we hope this will serve as a friendly reminder that the
Nationwide Insurance is the new sponsor of the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

Too often NASCAR is slow to acknowledge the obvious. The fact that Nationwide enters the sport with the realization that it will take time to convince fans and forge their own identity is a good start. The company is essentially saying, “We’re not Busch, we won’t try to be Busch, but stick around because we have some stuff to offer that Busch never did (more on this later). Taking a humorous approach via the swear jars is different, bold and a good way to announce the new sponsor. Having the proceeds go to charity is also an easy way into a skeptical NASCAR fan’s heart.

Another tack the company is taking is partnering on a new fantasy game:

The Up to Speed Challenge is going to be a lot of fun for fans
because it will provide a chance to experience NASCAR Nationwide Series
racing action like never before. Each week fans can log on to ESPN.com
to pick winning drivers in a series of “speed” categories. Throughout
the season they will have a chance to earn points for a chance to win
some truly incredible prizes.

One fan with the highest point total at the end of the season will win a
$100,000 grand prize. Weekly winners will get some of the best seats at
the track or autographed merchandise.

Fans should plan on logging onto ESPN.com before Daytona to test their
smarts and get “Up to Speed” on their favorite NASCAR Nationwide Series
drivers throughout the season. Additional details and complete official
rules will be available soon at ESPN.com.

Fantasy sports are huge. It has the power to pull in occasional viewers, familiarize them with the sport and convert them to regular fans. One of the knocks on the series lately has been the lack of identifiable stars that are not Cup regulars. With a fantasy game devoted to the series, the door is now open for Cup fans to learn more about drivers like Marcos Ambrose, Brad Coleman or Stephen Wallace.

Perhaps the biggest reason that Nationwide will improve the series is with the checkbook:

We’re also very pleased to announce that in 2008,
Nationwide will make the largest sponsor contribution in series history
to the NASCAR Nationwide Series points fund. We hope this will increase
the level of competition and provide additional resources for NASCAR
Nationwide Series teams.

This is where the biggest change sits. Annheuser-Busch paid a fraction of the cost to be the title sponsor of the Grand National series. That’s good for their exposure, but not for the teams that spend millions getting their cars to the tracks each week only to see a pittance of the money that the Cup race makes. More money in the series means more teams will hopefully see a financial benefit to participating in the series. It may take a few years, but in the long term that means more teams, greater resources and ideally better drivers and tougher competition. And that’s all race fans truly want to see anyway. Now all we have to do is think of a good nickname for the Cup drivers that race in the Nationwide series…

Thanks to Rachelle Lacroix for passing this release along on behalf of Nationwide.

RacingNation Crew

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