http://www.scenedaily.com/news/articles/sprintcupseries/Earnhardt_Ganassi_Racing_lands_new_sponsors_despite_pathetic_season.html
CONCORD, N.C. – Earnhardt Ganassi Racing had a miserable season in 2011, one team owner Chip Ganassi called “pathetic,” but the two-car organization has accomplished something few Sprint Cup teams can boast these days.
EGR has landed a full roster of primary sponsors for Sprint Cup drivers Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya and has no more primary sponsorships available for 2012.
“That is an enviable position to be in,” EGR President Steve Lauletta said Tuesday.
Target returns as the main primary sponsor for Montoya’s No. 42 team, with additional primary support from Energizer, Clorox, Huggies and Degree.
Bass Pro Shops and McDonald’s return as the main primary sponsors for McMurray. His No. 1 team also has added new primary sponsors Banana Boat sun care products, Belkin products and an expanded program for LiftMaster garage doors.
In an era when many Sprint Cup teams are still looking for sponsors, including some primary sponsorships for top teams, Earnhardt Ganassi’s sponsorship success was a positive sign for the sport.
“These are positive stories for the sport of NASCAR as a business platform,” Lauletta said.
Team owner Chip Ganassi said the success of his marketing team is significant given the struggles on the track last year. Montoya finished 21st in the standings and McMurray finished 27th while both drivers went winless after combining for four wins in 2010.
“There are no primary paint schemes available on our cars and they’ve introduced new people to the sport. What a great job they have done, especially coming off a performance we had last year,” Ganassi said. “We didn’t give them much to work with, so I’m very proud of our sales guys and the job they have done and very proud of introducing some new brands to NASCAR, something we take a lot of pride in around here.
“In 2012, the great thing is we get to start all over again. Certainly after the year we had, we knew we had to start over in a lot of areas. We made some changes in the team and we feel pretty good about them.”
EGR will enter 2012 with a new team manager in Max Jones, new technical director John Probst, new crew chief Chris Heroy (Montoya) and numerous other crew changes.
“We have had massive changes, from engineering to crew chiefs to car chiefs to tire changers,” team co-owner Felix Sabates said. “We really changed the landscape of the team, but we had to do that. When you go from 21st and 27th, there’s not much further you can fall back.”
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