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April 30, 2008

Military NASCAR Sponsorships

Dale Earnhardt Jr. with a Navy-sponsored car he will drive at a future race during a ceremony at the Talladega Superspeedway. (Photo by Mark Almond)

Military Hopes NASCAR Sponsorships Rev Up Fans' Interest

TALLADEGA, Ala. — NASCAR racing is a sport built around loyalty to the product brands that sponsor racing teams.

It's a loyalty stronger than in most other major sports. Fans of driver Tony Stewart are more likely to eat at Subway than New York Yankees fans are to wear Adidas shoes.

The idea of a company brand becoming an athletic logo has also attracted branches of the military to become NASCAR sponsors.

The Army and National Guard each sponsor a car in the top Sprint Cup Series, and the Navy sponsors a car in the Nationwide Series.

Recently, the Navy announced that well-known driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive a Navy-themed car in a Sprint Cup race next month to call attention to registration for a new Navy boot camp.

"It's not just a car going around the track," Navy representative Andrea Ross said. "People who follow NASCAR are more likely to use a product. If Jeff Gordon drinks Pepsi, (his fans are) more likely to drink Pepsi. There's a lot of sponsorship loyalty."

Along with the immediate brand recognition of having a logo painted all over a race car, the armed forces see recruiting opportunities when they set up interactive sponsor displays at a track. Displays are staffed by members of the military branches and offer a casual environment that a recruiting office could never supply.

Chief Tem Frierson was working at the Navy booth at Talladega Superspeedway over the weekend in conjunction with the Aaron's 499 Spring Cup race. The most common question, Frierson said, is, "Are you actually in the Navy?"

"They have this idea of the Navy SEAL or that we're only involved in warfare and they have this picture and it seems like something untouchable," Frierson said. "It's a lot more relaxed environment (at a track). It's not overbearing. They're just here to investigate and hopefully through talking to me or someone in my team they are able to put to rest some of the misconceptions."

Many NASCAR fans fall into the armed forces' target demographic of someone who either might sign up or be an "influencer" — a family member or teacher who could suggest the armed forces as an option to someone in the desired age range.

"We're talking to grandparents, the mothers, the fathers," said Navy Chief Angel Torres. "When they come in, they hear about our life experiences. Maybe we can share that and they say, 'Wow, I would really like that for my son.'"

Of the 10,000 people who pass through a display on a typical race weekend, the Navy anticipates developing approximately 300 leads for recruits.

Financially, the race sponsorships are a boon for the services, as well. The Navy spends about $6.5 million from its publicly funded general advertising budget to sponsor Brad Keslowski's No. 88 JR Motorsports car and to set up the interactive displays. Ross estimates the Navy has already received nearly $6 million worth of advertising exposure after eight races.

"What we're looking for in this program is brand awareness, recruiting and retention," Ross said. "At the end of the day, we look at all these metrics to decide if our participation in the sport is worthwhile. Where we are right now with our partnership with JR Motorsports, we feel it is."

Earnhardt, the owner of JR Motorsports who drives the National Guard car in 17 races a year on the Sprint Cup circuit, announced Friday a new initiative to help recruitment for the Navy with the formation of an 88-person boot camp in Illinois.

Earnhardt will drive a specially designed Navy car at the Carquest Auto Parts 300 on May 24 in Charlotte, N.C., where the first-come, first-served registration for the camp will begin.

"It's the first time we've ever partnered with a celebrity industry leader in a call to action service," said Capt. Jack Hanzlik, chief of naval personnel.

The partnerships between the armed forces and NASCAR allow the various branches of the military to tap into a fan base that is highly patriotic.

And it's large.

"The venue itself offers a huge crowd," said Maj. Anton Alston of the Army, which sets up its Strength in Action zone at 25 races. "That opportunity allows us to connect with the American public. And they're patriotic. It's a great educational tool for us."

Wild Thing's comment........

Good for the military and for NASCAR. think the Army’s been doing this as a full time sponsor for five years and the National Guard for at least four.The Border Patrol has a race car too and I think the Marines as well. The Coast Guard used to have a car too, not sure if they still do or not.

All five branches were on Winston Cup cars in the mid 1980’s.

Posted by Wild Thing at April 30, 2008 03:47 AM

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Comments

Posted by: Lynn at April 30, 2008 05:17 AM

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Posted by: TomR at April 30, 2008 09:30 AM

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Posted by: Wild Thing at April 30, 2008 08:05 PM

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Posted by: Wild Thing at April 30, 2008 08:06 PM

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Posted by: darthcrUSAderworldtour07 at May 3, 2008 03:47 AM

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