Remember back in 2004, when everybody said that the Chase for the Nextel Cup would ruin racing? Remember how they said that the teams that weren't in the Chase wouldn't get any exposure, and they'd lose out on millions and millions of dollars in sponsorship money and opportunities?Um, yeah, right.
For the last few weeks, the biggest news going has had nothing at all to do with teams in this year's Chase. Gillette Evernham Motorsports made it official on Tuesday by announcing Budweiser will sponsor the No. 9 Dodges for Kasey Kahne.
Today, it's fully expected that Hendrick Motorsports will announce that Dale Earnhardt Jr. (you've heard of him, no?) will pilot the No. 88 Chevys sponsored 
by some combination of AMP energy drink and Mountain Dew.
by some combination of AMP energy drink and Mountain Dew.And, by the way, the press conference to announce Jr.'s new deal will be shown live on the SPEED Channel. And, just last weekend at New Hampshire International Speedway, word came down of Junior's press conference today in Dallas. That was followed on Friday by a Dale Jr. press conference in the NHIS media center -- where he was the first Cup driver to be paraded out before the media and the only non-Chaser to hold a press conference all weekend.
So much for no coverage for the non-Chasers. So far, the non-Chasers are dominating the press.
4 comments:
It's funny how people are so quick to judge something without ever really giving it a chance...now people have some thoughts and ideas and it's time to throw them out there ... not before it is even put into effect.
130pm - got it
but is it really fair to say that guys in the chase are getting more attention then the ones in the chase...it's only JR after all....
Heard Budweiser went to KK...Interesting...
Who's in 13th again?
I meant out of the chase...brain thought faster then my fingers!
That a few non-Chase teams right now are getting publicity is only because the stories all revolve around Dale Junior - both his new sponsor and where his old one is going.
We are not seeing any coverage worthy of the name of non-Chase drivers or teams.
In the world of marketing and sponsorship, which, sadly, is what NASCAR racing has become all about, teams care less and less what you write about them in terms of on-the-track.
It's all about moving product and selling things. Saying that, in NASCAR-speak, Earnhardt and Kahne's sponsorship "news" trumps Clint Bowyer's win coverage 10-fold.
And the fact that it's Earnhardt only drives the point home further. It doesn't matter what you do or how you race -- it's all about the image.
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