Monster Energy has hired longtime NASCAR industry executive and lawyer TOM NORWOOD as its new Dir of NASCAR as the brand becomes the title sponsor of NASCAR's premier series. Confirming the move, Monster VP/Sports Marketing MITCH COVINGTON last week said Norwood was hired "to facilitate the business negotiations with tracks and other partners [like TV partners].” Norwood was most recently Dir of Business Operations at HScott Motorsports, which folded after last season. Norwood used to serve as counsel to former NASCAR driver ROBBY GORDON, who was sponsored by Monster, which made him familiar with the company. Covington noted that Monster Senior Sports Marketing Manager CARI CELLINI, who has headed up Monster’s NASCAR program in recent years when it was solely a team sponsor, will continue to head up Monster’s hospitality and trade-guest activation programs. Monster does the vast majority of its sports marketing in house, but it does do some work with North Carolina-based Hirschfeld Marketing Solutions, which provides on-site hospitality assets. That relationship will continue moving forward, Covington confirmed. Norwood will have to hit the ground running, as NASCAR and Monster have to fit about six months’ worth of work into two months before the start of the '17 season. Monster is continuing to negotiate with tracks and media partners to figure out activation for what sources have said is a two-year deal with a two-year option worth about $20M in annual rights fees. Prior to landing the entitlement, Monster mostly hosted large hospitality gatherings at races and did not have much consumer-facing activation aside from having Monster Energy girls roam pit road.
