Could NASCAR Survive Without Manufacturers Support?
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Official Says No Guarantee That Ford
Will Remain In NASCAR Forever |
Ford Racing Technology Dir Dan Davis said that NASCAR believes it could run the Sprint Cup Series "without [GM's] support" amid reports the manufacturer may cut its motorsports sponsorships, according to Bill Fleischman of the PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS. Davis: "I think there is a view that the sport could do just fine without manufacturers. I'm not agreeing with them, but they might be right." Davis said of the Car of Tomorrow, "A lot of the distinguished things that a manufacturer can do have been taken away from us. (The cars) have become a lot more common." GM is expected to have "less presence at races, meaning fewer official vehicles and signage," and Davis noted that there is "no guarantee Ford will stay in NASCAR forever." Davis: "If conditions got to the point where we felt the expense to be here and be competent, (if) more money was being spent than returned -- especially if there's a competing marketing initiative that would give you a better return -- we'd be hard pressed to keep spending money (in NASCAR)." Fleischman writes for decades, a "theme among manufacturers in racing was 'win on Sunday, sell on Monday.'" But Davis "thinks such loyalty is waning." Davis: "But it's still pretty strong" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 7/17). ESPN.com's Terry Blount wrote the "economic woes in the auto industry are much worse for the American manufacturers," which effects teams that run Chevy, Ford and Dodge cars more than those that run Toyotas. Blount: "None of the auto manufacturers are packing up and leaving NASCAR, but they won't be throwing money at it, either. Cup teams will have to get used to getting by with a little less" (ESPN.com, 7/16).
BUD LIGHT? In wake of InBev's acquisition of Anheuser-Busch, NASCAR Managing Dir of Corporate Communications Ramsey Poston said that it is "'premature' to speculate about how Budweiser's future in the sport could be affected." The Budweiser Shootout at Daytona Int'l Speedway each February is the "unofficial kickoff of the season, and the company's familiar red is splashed across the front" of the No. 9 Dodge driven by Kasey Kahne (Will Graves, AP, 7/16).
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