Citing
a need to focus more directly on its core business priorities, Sprint announced
it has informed NASCAR it will not extend the title sponsorship of the NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series after the current agreement expires at the end of the 2016
season.
“We
are proud of our association with NASCAR’s top series but have made the
decision not to extend our sponsorship beyond the next two years,” said Steve
Gaffney, vice president-Marketing, Sprint. “As we look to the future, Sprint is
focused on investing in maintaining a competitive edge and providing consumers
with the best value in wireless.
“Sprint
has long benefitted from the unprecedented level of brand integration available
in NASCAR, and the passionate fan base that is the most loyal in sports.
Without question, the NASCAR sponsorship property has been a valuable
investment for us and will be for our successor.”
Since
the partnership began in 2004, Sprint has worked closely with NASCAR to bring
many fan-friendly innovations to life, including the introduction of the
FanView next generation scanner (2005), the creation of the NASCAR Sprint Cup
Mobile wireless application (2008) and the debut of Miss Sprint Cup (2007), an
ambassador program that now has more than 1.5 million social media followers.
The constant evolution of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race pre-race show and the
improvements to the Sprint Vision trackside programming also highlight Sprint’s
portfolio of fan enhancements.
“We
genuinely appreciate the fans, teams, drivers, tracks and media who have been
so supportive and welcoming to us during these many race seasons,” said
Gaffney. “We look forward to our remaining time as sponsor of the Sprint Cup
Series and eventually assisting with the transition to NASCAR’s next title
partner.”
The
sponsorship extends back to 2004 when Nextel signed a 10-year partnership with
NASCAR for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. The name changed to the NASCAR Sprint
Cup Series in 2008 as a result of the Nextel/Sprint corporate merger. At the
conclusion of the first 10 years, Sprint extended the partnership an additional
three years, taking the contract through the end of the 2016 season.
NASCAR Senior Vice President and Chief
Communications Officer Brett Jewskes commented on today’s announcement,
saying, “NASCAR and Sprint have enjoyed a long and productive partnership that
has returned significant value to both parties. We understand significant
changes within Sprint and the highly competitive business environment it is in
has led to a decision not to extend its Cup Series entitlement position
following the 2016 season.
“The
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is a very unique, premium sports marketing platform
with strong momentum, so we are very confident of moving forward in 2017 with
an outstanding new partner. In the meantime, we look forward to Sprint’s
partnership on the best racing series in the world for the next two seasons.”
Maybe AT&T and Verizon will come back to sponsor cars again.
ReplyDeleteI was just going to say that, I wish a video game company would sponsor the cup series.
ReplyDeleteCue the rumors about the "Wal-Mart" series again...
DeleteNo need, you just did! ;)
DeleteWhy should AT&T or Verizon come back and Sponsor a car or any NASCAR Division? They were asked to leave because of Sprint by NASCAR. Hoosier was asked to leave because of Good Year. Somebody will take it, Maybe Tampax will take it! LOL
ReplyDeleteThat would be incorrect. Hoosier was never asked to leave. After competing head-to-head with Goodyear for a considerable period of time, Hoosier's Bob Newton withdrew from the Sprint Cup Series, citing the high cost of competing at that level.
DeleteIn case you need proof: http://articles.dailypress.com/1989-05-10/sports/8905090535_1_goodyear-tire-hoosier-tire-war
DeleteHoosier might not have been told to get out , but were locked out for a return .
DeleteThis opens the door for a lot of folks to become the title sponsor for our great sport. It will be interesting as well as exciting to see who steps up to the plate to carry us into the future NASCAR
ReplyDeleteAre you hearing anything specific, Dave, or have any real feelings as to who might step up?
ReplyDeleteNo, not yet. This is still almost two years out. There is plenty of time for NASCAR to conduct the appropriate negotiations to have a new backer in place by 2017.
DeleteMaybe, by then, everyone will be happy with The Chase format ... nah.
DeleteWhen SoftBank acquired Sprint, there was a feeling this would happen sooner than later. Sprint isn't getting new customers from the NASCAR fan base any longer, they are getting them through aggressive data/voice pricing plans to steal customers from Verizon and AT&T. I would bet that Softbank sees better opportunities for visibility through the stick sand ball sports rather than Motorsports. The fanbase in NASCAR is too small for expansion.
ReplyDeleteSadly, it is not going to be easy to obtain another mega-sponsor. The aging fanbase, failed efforts to improve TV ratings, and the general lack of interest from the 20 somethings are going to make the future difficult for NASCAR. Don't count on a beer sponsorship either.. Beer sales have declined rapidly over the past decade, and those avenues are as empty as a keg on St. Patrick's Day.
I wish NASCAR luck, this is going to be a difficult time for the France family.
Brian "rules are rules when I decide they're rules" France? Trying to infuse youth into the driver pool isn't going to get the attention of the "20 somethings" of whom over 20% DON'T drive. NASCAR wants to maintain that clean, family image. I don't know what family they are trying to appeal to. Just ask Monster about all of the other Motorsports events they sponsor. They certainly don't emphasize "God and family" and they certainty get a huge audience, as do baseball, football and soccer. If NASCAR wants to get a larger audience and a great sponsor, maybe they should stop trying to be 'holier than thou'?
DeleteI believe the previous post is correct in part that nascar is on a steep uphill pull to get a title sponser of sprint caliber partly do to ebbing tv ratings etc as previous stated and also partly to the lets make the rules as we go and we have dif set of rules for dif drivers ie lets set kyle bush out a race for wrecking somebody on the track and his body of work but we can let brad krashalotski take his body of work on a krash spree on track including hitting a car @ 55 plus mph with his belts off onto pit rd to hit more cars and then thru the garage hitting parts and pieces across the garage . In my opinion he shoulda been parked for the rest of the yr and he got basically nothing what a joke we have become! Jim sheets loyal fan since 1968
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, it's lasted a LOT longer than I thought it would. When Nextel was announced after Winston's departure, I scoffed and laughed and complained to anyone who would listen that we went from thirty years of Winston stability to the volatility of a telecommunications company. When Nextel was rebranded as Sprint, I pounded my chest and proclaimed my point proven. To be here as long as they were is nothing to scoff at. To be here from 2004 to 2016 sponsoring the Cup level of our sport is impressive. That's longer than Nationwide sponsored that series and equals Craftman's run as the Truck Series sponsor.
ReplyDeleteWas it a 30-year Winston run? No. Does it seem shorter with the Nextel/Sprint switch? Possibly. But they did a lot for and gave a lot of money to our sport.
I'm glad to say that I was wrong. NASCAR will find a new sponsor, and owes Sprint a big "thank you". The only problem I have with Nextel and Sprint is this stupid chase thing! HAHA!! Not really, but I had to stir the pot a little...I think it's against the rules to just have a complete post with nothing but positives.
The series is in decline - from falling TV ratings to the removal of thousands of seats at tracks all over the place.
ReplyDeleteIt is not to the point where tracks are jumping off the schedule and the TV contracts are shrinking.
Yet.
NASCAR will come up with a series sponsor just to save face if for no other reason, the question that remains is how much of a lost in revenue is it going to be, because it will almost certainly be a smaller deal than what is in place now.