Nascar $$$ greed will kill the sport

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You heard it here first... the France's and Helton's are greedy bitches. AT&T is suing Nascar to put AT&T on the hood of the #31... #7 has been ordered by Nascar to take off Motorola from the hood, despite Motorola not being a Nextel competitor, and Nascar has a licensing agreement with Nascar... hmmm... maybe Nascar wants all the $$$? Remember when Gillette was going to sponsor a Cup team and Nascar stole them so they could be a series sponsor? Official bank of Nascar, official headache formula of Nascar, official thongs of Nascar?!?! Im tellin ya... they greedy bitches, and they will kill the sport.

[/rant]
 
Hmmm... just earlier this year Nascar made the #29 reduce the Shell logos because it upset their (Nascar) sponsor, Sunoco.
 
Nascar is cutting off their nose to spite their face, not letting sponsors in will ultimately hurt them in the long run.
 
Are you guys new to this sport? Seems as though you either are, or are very forgetful of the past.

Looks like a day doesn't go by that there isn't a rant about NASCAR and where they're going, or what they're doing. But the sport continues to grow. You know that if you don't like what you see, you don't have to participate in the audience. Complaining is fine, but find something new to complain about please.

And what is wrong with trying to make more money? Are you not a capitalist?
 
buckaroo said:
And what is wrong with trying to make more money? Are you not a capitalist?
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Nothing wrong with making money but in today's day and age it is harder and harder to find sponsers and NASCAR is doing nothing to help with this, he is yet another example:

Robby has a sponsor for Atlanta UPDATE forced to pull logos: Add another cellphone company to the NASCAR mix. Verizon Wireless officials plan to announce today they will work with Motorola to sponsor Robby Gordon in the [#55] Busch Series. The first-time Busch sponsorship for both companies will begin with Saturday's Busch race at AMS. Motorola will also sponsor Gordon's Cup #7 Ford in the Kobalt Tools 500 on Sunday. The sponsorship also includes Busch races at Charlotte, Chicago and Texas.(Atlanta Journal-Constitution), see images of the scheme on the #7 Team Schemes page and 2007 Busch Series Schemes page.
UPDATE: Robby Gordon is removing a Motorola logo from the hood of his #7 Ford at the request of NASCAR officials, but he says he doesn't understand how Motorola and Cup series sponsor Nextel are competitors. He also can't understand why the company can be an associate sponsor on the car, as it has been the three previous Nextel Cup races, but cannot move into a primary slot. "I'm having a hard time understanding how Nextel and Motorola are competitors because that's the reason we can't use the sponsorship," Gordon said. "They have been an associate sponsor on my car for the first three events, and they can remain as an associate sponsor on my car; they just can't be a primary sponsor on my car." Gordon said NASCAR officials told him that was the reasoning for the changes. NASCAR President Mike Helton said that Motorola is specifically listed among the companies barred from being a primary sponsor in the Nextel agreement, which gives Nextel (now Sprint) exclusivity among wireless providers as well as wireless handset manufacturers. "It's a NASCAR decision, yes," Gordon said. "This is the first time I have ever been involved in something like this. I've never been told no [on] a sponsor because we never felt we've gone after a sponsor that wouldn't be approved. I didn't even imagine that Motorola wouldn't be approved. They're the official radio of everybody in the garage area. It's just mind-boggling, and I'm having a little bit of a hard time on it." Gordon said he planned to use the sponsorship for two events. "We have a relationship with a competitor's cell phone company [Verizon] in the Busch Series, and we felt that with them in the Busch Series and Motorola strictly in the Cup series, there wouldn't be a conflict," he said. Motorola has a relationship with NASCAR as it is the primary vendor of Racing Radios, which provides two-way radio service for NASCAR at the track. Gordon said he was unaware of exactly how Motorola could be considered a competitor. "That's where a person like myself has a hard time because you go to the front page of Nextel.com and you find Motorola logos on there and Motorola phones on there, and it's just a bit confusing why we're having an issue with the race car being on the race track," Gordon said. Helton added that NASCAR - not Nextel - made the decision on the car, a decision that he said seemed fairly black-and-white. "NASCAR is the group that polices the sport, so it's NASCAR's role to approve paint designs, approve sponsors on cars, approve how sponsors utilize the paint designs on the cars to promote and activate their relationships," Helton said. Helton said that most of the times, these issues are handled before the car gets to the track. "There is a process in place where the paint scheme has to be approved ... there wasn't time to fix the car before it got here, but we have plenty of time here to correct things," he said.(SceneDaily.com)(3-16-2007)
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buckaroo said:
Are you guys new to this sport? Seems as though you either are, or are very forgetful of the past.

Looks like a day doesn't go by that there isn't a rant about NASCAR and where they're going, or what they're doing. But the sport continues to grow. You know that if you don't like what you see, you don't have to participate in the audience. Complaining is fine, but find something new to complain about please.

And what is wrong with trying to make more money? Are you not a capitalist?
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I'm hardly new to the sport i've been around it almost all of 45 years, i just think they should grow up about letting sponsors in. Big deal Motorola or AT&T want to be on the hood of a car. That won't kill Nextel/Sprint, their name is all over everything. I thought the idea was to encourage sponsors to enter the sport , not chase them away?
 
Lap3Forever said:
I thought just about all NEXTEL phones were Motorola
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They are and that is what makes this even more ridiculous. Because this particular sponsership was the Motorola phones used by Verizon and not Nextel they will not allow it but if they were doing it in conjuntion with Nextel you can bet your sweet patuddie it would be okay
 
Then just go ahead and shuck Nextel out the window. They don't do anything other than sponsor the series. Nextel's money goes to every team. You can't say that about Motorola, AT&T or any other car sponsor. Whether you like it or not, NASCAR has signed a contract with Nextel and there is something to the legal side of a contract. If you think that NASCAR is so evil and greedy, then stop supporting the series. There are plenty of racing series out there that would welcome your support. If on the other hand, you believe that you can change the sport by complaining, then by all means keep it up. But I can tell you that Nextel's millions mean a lot more to NASCAR and all the teams that race in the series than your complaining.

It's your nickle, so be my guest. As for me, I'm glad that the series has a sponsor, even if I don't care for Nextel.

You really need to learn a little something about advertising. You should know that all those decals on the side of cars are really nothing but advertising. Now for the reality...Cingular, AT&T, Shell and many others are competitors of bigger sponsors in the sport that have contracts that prevent such competition at the track. AT&T had a chance to bid on the overall sponsorship of the series but didn't.
 
When Winston was the sponser of the series did anyone ever see any other brand on a car? NO!!!!
 
Well yes, Camel. But guess who made that brand? :) But you never saw Marlboro as a sponsor and they were huge in racing. Then you never saw any RJR products in the open wheel series either...and Marlboro wasn't in drag racing either.
 
I know Camel was also made by RJ Reynolds. I remember when they sponsored Spencer.
 
The real thing to think about here is how this is an example of a monopoly. No, there isn't anything wrong with making more money, but there is something wrong with having a monopoly at least as far as the government is concerned. But I always thought there was a separation between NASCAR and State written into the Constitution (Then Reagan showed up to the race) and now the whole things gone S*&^house.
 
buckaroo said:
Are you guys new to this sport? Seems as though you either are, or are very forgetful of the past.

Looks like a day doesn't go by that there isn't a rant about NASCAR and where they're going, or what they're doing. But the sport continues to grow. You know that if you don't like what you see, you don't have to participate in the audience. Complaining is fine, but find something new to complain about please.

And what is wrong with trying to make more money? Are you not a capitalist?
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Exactly buckaroo. It's funny, I've been hearing since the middle 90's that NASCAR (Cup) has peaked and going down hill, they're greedy and the same ole crapolla over and over. NASCAR in not dead.

These same people that complaing about everything, still support the sport, which I don't understand. If I disliked something as much as they seem to, I'd move on to something else.
 
NASCAR needs to act quickly on AT&T matter

by: Lee Spencer, Fox Sports



HAMPTON, Ga. - NASCAR's golden goose has laid plenty of eggs over the years, but those eggs come with certain rights — and a price.

Those rights — or "category exclusivity" as a Sprint/Nextel representative referred to the classification — precludes competing brands from participating in the sport at certain levels.

Both NASCAR and Sprint/Nextel were at the center of discussions on Friday stemming from companies currently being precluded from sponsoring Nextel Cup cars at the primary level. AT&T, which merged with Cingular last December, filed a lawsuit against NASCAR to continue its sponsorship of the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing car driven by Jeff Burton. Robby Gordon was forced to remove his Motorola decals from the hood of the No. 7 Ford before practice began on Friday afternoon.

"Throughout the history of the sport there are times when the paint scheme isn't in line with the NASCAR process," said NASCAR president Mike Helton. "NASCAR is the group that polices the sport, so it's NASCAR's role to approve paint designs, approve sponsors on cars, approve how sponsors utilize the paint designs on the cars to promote and activate their relationships."

Nextel signed a 10-year agreement in 2004 for a reported $75 million as the title sponsor of NASCAR's premiere series. In return, Nextel locked down several categories. Helton made reference to a section in the NASCAR rulebook that precludes competitors of Sprint/Nextel to compete as a major sponsor at the Cup level. Cingular was grandfathered into the sport when Nextel came on board.



"To our knowledge, we have not been named in the lawsuit, and at this point, it would be premature to comment," said Dean Kessel, director of NASCAR Nextel Cup Series marketing for Sprint/Nextel.

Cingular initiated its relationship with RCR in 2002 and re-upped for three additional years with an option year starting in 2005. That current sponsorship is worth $17 million plus bonuses to the No. 31 Chevrolet.



"There's a tremendous amount of effort from AT&T and Cingular to try to get this thing resolved, and it's something that needs to be resolved," Burton said. "It's got us in a situation that we certainly don't want to be in. Cingular has been here for a long time, and I'd like to believe that reasonable people can come to reasonable solutions.



"I can't comment about any other company or teams' situation because I don't have knowledge of it, but I have a lot of knowledge about what is going on with my situation. We have a sponsor that has been here a long time and changing a name, and there has to be a reasonable way to work through that.



"It's going to have to be resolved. There comes a point where there are decisions that have to be made. From a company standpoin,t we can't operate without sponsorship. Sponsors just don't fall out of trees. We could be in the position of not having sponsorship, and of course, that puts me and my whole team in a position to decide what we are going to do. I certainly don't want to be in that position, especially when we have a company that is willing to step up to the plate and sponsor us for many, many years in the future. It's an interesting position to be in, but it has to be resolved."



Gordon hoped for resolution as well.

Gordon submitted his application with Motorola on March 1 and says NASCAR requested the paint scheme on March 8. The transporter with the cars and logos left Charlotte on Thursday before NASCAR warned Gordon he could not run "Motorola" on the hood.



Gordon cites several conflicting circumstances that he takes issue with, including the fact that "Motorola is a supplier, not a competitor," and that Sprint/Nextel uses Motorola products predominantly in some of its ads. Robby Gordon Motorsports "offered to brand the car with MP3 players" similar to how Haas-CNC Racing used "HDTV" with Samsung (another handset listed among the not approved devices) on the No. 66 Chevrolet at Las Vegas last weekend, but was denied.

"What's the difference?" Gordon asked.



Gordon is currently carrying Motorola "M" on the C-post (behind rear passengers' windows) of the car. But the difference in revenue between placing logo on the hood or on the C-post could be costing Gordon a minimum of $150,000 a race.



NASCAR will not comment on litigation, but spokesperson Kerry Tharp echoed Helton's comments on the Motorola deal.



"As the sanctioning body, it is NASCAR's responsibility to police the sport," Tharp said. "There are certain contractual agreements that must be abided by as they pertain to paint designs and sponsorships and how they are utilized. This was one of those cases."



With the amount of money Sprint/Nextel is investing into the series, it's understandable that the company should be allowed to make certain demands. And with NASCAR's official fuel supplier providing the top three series more than 750,000 gallons of gas, it's understandable that Sunoco was a little hot when Kevin Harvick appeared in Victory Lane in a Shell gas uniform.



There were rumblings of concern from NASCAR throughout Speedweeks. Having Shell plastered on front pages across the country after Harvick won both the Busch and the Nextel Cup races in Daytona was enough for Sunoco to request action.



"Shell has done everything that NASCAR has asked them to do," said Sam Brown, Shell's NASCAR media representative. "They made some changes to the uniform and some of the pit equipment as per requested by NASCAR."



Although the Shell emblem still resides on the No. 29 RCR Chevrolet, Pennzoil oil is also represented.

Besides the series' naming rights and Sunoco, companies generally pay between $200,000 to $4 million depending upon the category for "official NASCAR" status. And official sponsorship has its privileges.



Because Home Depot is the official home improvement store of NASCAR, Lowe's runs into conflicts, despite its driver representing the sport as its champion. Lowe's can't use the NASCAR rainbow bars nor use "NASCAR" in any of its promotional material. When they developed the championship logos with "NASCAR" in the title, the logos could be used in the background for photographs, but not on any Lowe's championship merchandise.



Then there's the Lowe's relationship with Speedway Motorsports and Home Depot's agreement with International Speedway Corp., which leads to some very interesting housekeeping moments with the companies visit competing tracks.



NASCAR is currently experiencing resurgence, with more teams than there are positions to race. While there may be no easy solutions to the latest sponsor conundrums, if NASCAR continues to cut off resources to the teams, the sport will cycle back to the days of field-fillers, and no one wants to see that.
 
RobbyG Fan said:
NASCAR needs to act quickly on AT&T matter

by: Lee Spencer, Fox Sports



NASCAR is currently experiencing resurgence, with more teams than there are positions to race. While there may be no easy solutions to the latest sponsor conundrums, if NASCAR continues to cut off resources to the teams, the sport will cycle back to the days of field-fillers, and no one wants to see that.
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Excellent point!
 
From part of an article I found:

"Although Robby Gordon’s situation is different than the Richard Childress soon-to-be Cingular fiasco, he has more reason to be upset. NASCAR should have stepped in and helped Gordon in this situation. It is well known that Gordon is not a favorite of the NASCAR officials, but he is doing something for the sport that has become a lost art. He is the only single-car, driver/owner operation on the circuit. Although many fans are not pleased with Gordon’s driving mentality, he brings a lot of character to this sport. He is a driver that some fans love, and most others dislike. If he loses a portion of his primary sponsorship, his career could take quite a hit. It will also raise the question: Would NASCAR do the same thing to Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Jeff Gordon? Probably, if their teams were in the same situation, but it just adds more to the theory of NASCAR having their favorites. This was NASCAR’s chance to look out for the little guy, and they blew it."

Ha!
 
buckaroo said:
Are you guys new to this sport? Seems as though you either are, or are very forgetful of the past.

Looks like a day doesn't go by that there isn't a rant about NASCAR and where they're going, or what they're doing. But the sport continues to grow.
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buckaroo, where do you get your numbers. Greensboro, the nations second largest Nascar market has seen the Daytona 500 ratings drop by 13 % in four years. The Daytona 500 matters because the race draws Nascar's largest audience. The other important thing is that Greensboro contains core fan base which no one wants to see decline. Ten of the nation's top 15 TV markets have shown a decline of at least 10 percent for the Daytona 500. TV ratings dropped for nearly every Nextel Cup race last year.

And yes, I think Nascar is making a mistake by competing for sponsorship with the teams that drive in the series.
 
muggle, I don't have any number only the fact that the sport continues to grow outside the normal viewing areas, mainly where we live. I guess that if you believe that the sport is in decline, then we'll see a major change in the coming months to prevent the further slide. It's no secret that NASCAR is trying to change it's demographics, witness the music they are using in it's productions via FOX, ESPN, ABC and SPEED. When the sport was on the upswing, the music most associated with the sport was country. Today, though you can still find bits and pieces of that genre in the telecasts, for the most part, they are pushing "hip hop". That is evidence they are trying to expand the core audience to the younger generation. That is what has been going on, but what I've always said is how loyal will those fans be.
 
I don't know if any of this info will help or not, but here ya go. :)

http://jayski.com/pages/tvratings2007.htm

Las Vegas TV Ratings Up 2%: Sunday's (3/11/07) NASCAR on FOX event from Las Vegas posted a 6.3/13 (10.5 million viewers) National rating, according to figures released today by Nielsen Media Research. Sunday's 6.3/13 is up +2% over last year's 6.2/12 for the same race on FOX, and was the top-rated sporting event of the weekend. NASCAR on FOX from Las Vegas outrated CBS' NCAA Selection Show by +47% (6.3/13 vs. 4.3/9 ), the largest margin ever recorded between the two events. Ratings for Sunday's race on FOX opened at a 5.5/13 and grew steadily throughout the broadcast, peaking at a 7.6/14 (13.1 million viewers).(FOX PR)(3-14-2007)


Overnight TV ratings for Vegas up: Overnight ratings for Fox's broadcast of Sunday's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway were up 1.9% over last year's figures. This year's race drew a 5.5 overnight rating from Nielsen Media Research and an 11 market share, compared with a 5.4/10 in 2006, according to Street and Smith's SportsBusiness Daily.(SceneDaily.com)(3-13-2007)


TV Ratings for Mexico race down from last year: ESPN2's broadcast of the Telcel-Motorola Mexico 200 Busch Series race garnered a Nielsen Media Research rating of 2.3 with 2,142,000 households watching, according to the network. ESPN's Spanish-language telecast showed a 0.2 rating with 196,000, boosting the total households watching to 2,337,000. But those numbers were down 34.3% over 2006's race, which was shown on the Fox network. Last year, the Fox broadcast had a 3.5 rating with 3,821,000 households.(SceneDaily.com)(3-7-2007)


California TV ratings drop 9.5%: Fox's broadcast of last Sunday's Auto Club 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup race at California Speedway drew the largest television rating of any weekend sporting event but fell 9.5% from 2006. Street and Smith's SportsBusiness Daily reports that this year's race drew a final Nielsen Media Research rating of 6.7 and a 13 market share. The rating fell from 7.4 last year and was well off the 7.9 the race drew in 2005.(SceneDaily.com)(3-2-2007)


California Overnight TV ratings even: Fox's broadcast of Sunday's Auto Club 500 Nextel Cup race from California Speedway earned an overnight Nielsen Media Research rating of 6.2 and a 11 share, Street and Smith's SportsBusiness Daily reports. The 6.2 tied last year's 6.2/12 overnight rating, but it was 12.7% lower than the 7.1 Fox earned for the race in 2005.(SceneDaily.com)(2-26-2007)


TV Ratings for Daytona 500: Daytona 500 on FOX produced a 10.1/20 rating/share and an average audience of 17.53 million viewers according to "fast national" figures released today by Nielsen Media Research. Yesterday's race ranks as the fifth highest-rated and the fifth most-watched Daytona 500 in history, and the second highest-rated and most-watched ever on FOX. An estimated 33.7 million Americans watched at least part of yesterday's Great American Race. The race a year ago, which was sandwiched in between NBC's coverage of the Torino Olympics, set all-time records for rating and viewership (11.3/23; average 19.35 million). Also, due to an unusually low number of caution periods early on, yesterday's race was the shortest in running time since 1995, and that was a significant factor in the year to year decline. FOX's rating peaked at a 12.0/22 during the race's thrilling conclusion (7:00-7:12pm/et). The 49th Daytona 500 nearly doubles the rating for last year's Indianapolis 500 (5.1/14).(FOX PR)(2-19-2007)


Overnight TV Ratings for Bud Shootout: Fox's broadcast of Saturday night's Budweiser Shootout from Daytona International Speedway earned the second-highest overnight rating for any weekend sports broadcast, according to numbers posted by Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Daily. The non-points race for last year's Nextel Cup pole winners and previous event champions earned a 4.2 overnight Nielsen Media Research rating from the nation's largest markets and a 7 market share. CBS posted the highest overnight ratings with a 5.1/10 for its coverage of the NFL's Pro Bowl game. Fox's coverage of Sunday's qualifying session for next week's Daytona 500 Nextel Cup season opener earned a 2.5 overnight rating and a 6 share. Comparison figures from last year for the two NASCAR events weren't immediately available.(SceneDaily.com)(2-12-2007)
 
Once again :
TV ratings dropped for nearly every Nextel Cup race last year.
Also, an ESPN Sport Poll shows that Nascar's fan base shrank 3 % from last year, the second consecutive year it has dropped.

A fan wrote in to the Greensboro newspaper and gave his reasons for the decline in the core Nascar fan base:
1. Shutting down tracks in the Southeast
2. More events located outside of the Eastern time zone and in particular, tracks located on the West Coast and Mexico.
3. Start times catering to West Coast viewers no matter where the race is run.
4. Making race events more like the Super Bowl with live entertainment and delaying start times as a result.
5. Inconsistent television coverage (Fox, then NBC, Fox, NBC, then TNT, Fox, ESPN, TNT, ABC)

OK, don't misunderstand me. I still think that Nascar is the best racing available. However, Nascar better pay attention and not crap in the bed where it sleeps.
 
Right or wrong, Nascar has become arrogant.

This is the content I am using the word arrogant.
exaggerate one's own worth or importance in an overbearing manner.
 
Robby Gordon, NASCAR work out deal to keep Motorola logos on cars
By JIM UTTER / The Charlotte Observer
HAMPTON, Ga. -- NASCAR and Robby Gordon Motorsports have worked out a last-minute compromise which will allow Motorola logos to appear on Gordon's No. 7 Ford in Sunday's Nextel Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

"We have come up with a reasonable paint scheme solution for Sunday," said NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp. "Everyone's concerns should be addressed."

The Motorola sponsorship logos on Gordon's car will promote Motorola's digital audio players and not its involvement in wireless communication.

That conflict is what prompted NASCAR officials to require Gordon to remove the original Motorola decals from the car on Friday as a violation of NASCAR's agreement with series sponsor Sprint Nextel.


I'mglad for Robby's sake they could reach a compromise
 
buckaroo said:
muggle, I don't have any number only the fact that the sport continues to grow outside the normal viewing areas, mainly where we live. I guess that if you believe that the sport is in decline, then we'll see a major change in the coming months to prevent the further slide. It's no secret that NASCAR is trying to change it's demographics, witness the music they are using in it's productions via FOX, ESPN, ABC and SPEED. When the sport was on the upswing, the music most associated with the sport was country. Today, though you can still find bits and pieces of that genre in the telecasts, for the most part, they are pushing "hip hop". That is evidence they are trying to expand the core audience to the younger generation. That is what has been going on, but what I've always said is how loyal will those fans be.
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I wuz country when country wasn't cool. Just ask Kelloggs.
 
No Kat, they aren't hip hop, but have you ever heard of the song "Walk This Way"? Although Aerosmith wasn't the main group that made this song, they were part of it. Besides, Aerosmith are so old that ... well let's just say that they could contend with the Rolling Stones when it comes to senority. But lest those of you who think that I don't know the beginning of the Stones, let me tell you that at the age of 16, I danced all night long to the song "Can't Get No Satisfaction". All I'm saying is Aerosmith is not a new hip hop group but yet, they have a connection to the genre.

Kat, you really don't want to argue music genre with me. :cool:
 
All I'm saying is Aerosmith is not a new hip hop group
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No but they may be needing a new hip soon.
Me I liked Led Zeppelin back in the day. Also Kiss. My 1st concert was Alice Cooper. Which was 1 reason I loved the Peachtree Festival @ Rockingham Speedway. It featured 3 Dog Night, James Gang, Bloodrock, Black Oak Arkansas, Fleetwood Mac, Tower of Power, Savoy Brown and Alice Cooper.
 
barelypure said:
No but they may be needing a new hip soon.
Me I liked Led Zeppelin back in the day. Also Kiss. My 1st concert was Alice Cooper. Which was 1 reason I loved the Peachtree Festival @ Rockingham Speedway. It featured 3 Dog Night, James Gang, Bloodrock, Black Oak Arkansas, Fleetwood Mac, Tower of Power, Savoy Brown and Alice Cooper.
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Kelloggs you would have liked that concert too. These are all bands from back in your time.

Just give me Conway Twitty and George Jones man.
 
I really don't know most of those groups y'all are talking about., except for George Jones of course. I am from the days of Ernest Tubb, Webb Pierce, Hank and Lefty, Faron, etc.........nowadays they all sound alike and it is not a sound that I care for.
 
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