NASCAR is turning to its past to boost its sponsorship sales future. The sanctioning body has hired SEAN DOWNES to lead its sales efforts as its Managing Dir of Business Development. Downes, who spent the last two years as VP/Corporate Entertainment Solutions at MSG, previously worked for NASCAR as Dir of Partnership Marketing from '05-09. NASCAR has been without a top sales exec since late April when TED VAN ZELST left his post as Dir of Corporate Marketing. Downes is the first of three to five sales execs NASCAR plans to hire. "He's a seasoned sales guy who's well known and liked in the NASCAR garage, and that's half the battle in NASCAR," said NASCAR VP/Corporate Marketing & Chief Sales Officer JIM O'CONNELL. "He's got a fantastic Rolodex, and he's a super nice guy to boot, so we're excited to have him back." In returning, Downes will find a different NASCAR sponsorship portfolio from the one he left in '09. Over the last two years, the sanctioning body has lost a series of official partners, including Ask.com, Tylenol, Aflac and Diageo. It has added the support of Drive4COPD in the health initiative category and Growth Energy and the National Corn Growers Association in the green category. O'Connell said the strategy at NASCAR is the same as it was when Downes left. The organization is focused on adding blue chip sponsors that will make investments across the sport, from the sanctioning body to the team to the track level, he said. "We've done a great job of developing new assets and richer assets," O'Connell said. "If we keep creating these new assets, the traditional sponsors will remain and come back, and we'll keep creating these new sponsorship categories as we have in recent years." Downes, a graduate of Villanova Univ., will be based in NASCAR's N.Y. office. Prior to NASCAR and MSG, he held sales and marketing positions at Octagon, ISP Sports, the Eagles and the Nets.
