Wheels & Deals: Tums A Sponsor Of David Reutimann's No. 00 Camry

Tums Announces Multi-Year Partnership To Sponsor Reutimann's Car Beginning In '10

Tums has announced a multi-year partnership with Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) to sponsor David Reutimann's No. 00 Toyota Camry starting with the '10 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Tums will be the primary sponsor for the No. 00 entry for five races during each of the next two seasons. Tums also will have visibility as a full-time associate sponsor beginning with the Daytona 500 (MWR). NASCAR SCENE's Bob Pockrass wrote the deal "demonstrates what many industry people expect to be a big part of the model of future sponsorships in the sport: A small, partial-season deal with a company that increases its investment in the sport." A "significant part of the Tums deal was that Tums actually increased its investment in the sport." Tums will remain as an associate sponsor of Earnhardt Ganassi Racing and also "continue to sponsor races at Martinsville Speedway" (SCENEDAILY.com, 11/10).

PRESSURE GAUGE: SPEEDTV.com's Jimmy Spencer wrote Roush Fenway Racing (RFR) and Richard Childress Racing (RCR) currently are "under the most pressure of any organization in NASCAR." RFR "placed only two of five teams in the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup this year after claiming more wins as a team in 2008 than any other Cup team." Meanwhile, after qualifying all three of its teams in the Chase last year, RCR "absolutely fell off the radar in 2009 and hasn't won a points race." Spencer: "I put part of the blame on NASCAR because this new car provides such a narrow opportunity to succeed, such a small window of adjustability, that if teams don't find that sweet spot, they struggle mightily" (SPEEDTV.com, 11/10).

Blount Feels NASCAR Should Reduce Size Of Sprint Cup Fields

TOUCH & GO: ESPN's Terry Blount said the situation with "start-and-parkers" -- which are teams having financial and sponsorship problems -- in NASCAR "just keeps getting worse." Blount: "NASCAR should take a hard look at this next season. You know, wouldn't it be better to just start 35 or 36 cars, knowing that everybody in the field is going to seriously try to compete in the event. ... There's a feeling if you go to shorter fields, people will feel like, 'Well see, NASCAR's got a problem. They had to go to a 36-car field.' But I don't think that's true. I think it improves the quality of the racing to go to a shorter field in this economy" ("NASCAR Now," ESPN2, 11/10).

JUMP ON BOARD: 3M, a NASCAR automotive aftermarket marketing partner, has expanded its relationship with the sanctioning body. The diverse company, which already had marketing rights for its automotive care products, has broadened the deal to include bandages, first aid supplies, braces, supports and hot & cold therapy products. Those items will now have the rights to carry the NASCAR mark on packaging, promotional elements and related media (NASCAR).

TWICE THE FUN: Front Row Motorsports Owner Bob Jenkins said that his team "plans to field two NASCAR Sprint Cup cars full time in 2010, but who will drive them is still to be determined." Jenkins said that the team "likely will change manufacturer from its current Chevrolet," but he "wouldn't name which manufacturer the team was going to use" (SCENEDAILY.com, 11/8).