NASCAR, ESPN join search for title sponsor

NASCAR, ESPN join search for title sponsor

By Mark Aumann, NASCAR.COM
December 18, 2006
04:54 PM EST (21:54 GMT)

NASCAR considers the title sponsorship of its No. 2 series to be "a significant opportunity for brand exposure," so it's going to the unusual step of asking broadcast partner ESPN to join in the search to replace Anheuser-Busch at the end of the 2007 season.

Anheuser-Busch officials confirmed Monday that the company will not renew sponsorship of the Busch Series when the contract expires next season, which allows NASCAR to search for a replacement title sponsor at what industry analysts believe is worth between $35-$40 million per year, which is estimated to be at least three times the current deal.

"We didn't feel like we needed to make a big announcement on it, but we felt it was important to alert NASCAR that we were not going to renew after '07 as a courtesy of our long-term relationship," said Tony Ponturo, vice president of global media and sports marketing for Anheuser-Busch. "We wanted to give them time to consider and look for a new sponsor."

With that in mind, NASCAR and ESPN will be doing something unique: they will be combining efforts to replace the Busch brand over the next 12 months, according to NASCAR's director of business communications, Andrew Giangola.

"No one could come up with another example of league and broadcast partner selling a sponsorship," Giangola said. "We will be enjoined to find the right series sponsor to support our efforts and elevate the series."

With the growth of the Busch Series in recent years, coupled with the brand loyalty shown by NASCAR fans, Giangola said it makes sense that NASCAR and its broadcast partner be involved in the title sponsorship process.

"The Busch Series will have more of a presence on ESPN, so we're going to be looking for a national brand that's going to promote the series," he said. "The Busch Series is an extremely strong motorsports property. It's a significant opportunity for a company to gain $100 million in brand exposure. It's a unique situation, because the company is literally branded to the sport."

Giangola said there's no specific timeline to the process, which is in initial stages.

"Clearly, we hope to have somebody in place before 2008," he said. "We'll go out with ESPN and begin meeting companies across a range of categories."

Giangola said there is constant communication between prospective sponsors and NASCAR. In some cases, companies have inquired about future title sponsorship. In others, NASCAR has initiated talks.

For now, Giangola doesn't believe the current economic situation will have any bearing on NASCAR's ability to find a replacement for Busch.

"We don't think that's going to be much of a factor," he said. "You could make the argument that when economic times are tighter, the cream tends to rise to the top. In good times and bad, NASCAR remains a great choice.

"Our fans are very passionate about the sport. There is an extremely high level of awareness about the sport."

There's a good possibility that the new sponsor may not be one traditionally connected to auto racing, like when Sprint-Nextel replaced Winston as title sponsor of NASCAR's premier series in 2003.

The key, according to Giangola, is finding the right fit, especially when it comes to exposing new fans to the sport.

"The Holy Grail seems to about bringing in the casual sports fan, no matter what the property," he said. "When you look at ESPN, it's a gathering place for a lot of casual sports fans, that's for sure."

NASCAR's Late Model Sportsman Division was renamed the Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series in 1982, with the Busch brand taking over as title sponsor in 1984.