NASCAR continues to search for the right title sponsor for the Sprint Cup Series, and the "challenge is finding a collaborator with a passion," according to Lee Spencer of MOTORSPORT.com. NASCAR Exec VP & CMO Steve Phelps said, "Right now we're balancing brands. What's the right brand? What's the right company? What's the right amount of activation? All those things are in the mix, and there's importance to all of them. What we want to find is the brand -- the company -- that ultimately helps grow the sport with us. That's really the biggest lens that we're looking through." Phelps added, "We continue to talk to a number of companies, there's still a lot of interest, and timing remains the same -- probably a fall announcement." Spencer noted the ultimate goal is finding a sponsor that "shares a common bond with NASCAR's massive audience." Phelps: "What we want to use is a tool to make the fan experience closer and better whether you're at the race track or you're mobile or you're at home, we believe that's what technology can do for the fans." He added, "That's kind of the first thing we're looking at from an activation standpoint. Outside of technology, whether it's for the entitlement or something else, it's really about how you are going to touch and reach the most number of people and showcase what we are doing as a sport" (MOTORSPORT.com, 7/1). USA TODAY's Brant James reported several sponsor suitors "were present at Sonoma Raceway last week" and again at Daytona Int'l Speedway over the weekend. And sentiment "has trickled from the halls of power to the garage that saying and doing really nice things about the industry as a whole would really, really benefit everyone right now." It will be "interesting to see if the solidarity endures" (USATODAY.com, 7/4).
