Sponsors

August, 5 1999 - Hello everyone. Have you ever wondered what a sponsor looks for in a driver or team? Is it a recognizable name or talent? Barry Bronson, from the Valvoline Company states that, "Both are important as a sponsor is looking for exposure, sometimes just as much as victories. The team must run up front, however." Valvoline sponsors Mark Martin in the Winston Cup series.

With Martin, driver of the # 6 Ford owned by Roush Racing, Valvoline has both. From 1990 to now Martin has started 294 races, won 29 times, with 144 top fives, and 205 top tens. Those finishes should be enough to keep any sponsor happy. Including Valvoline. "We're very content with Mark Martin and Roush Racing. We've been with them for 10 years," confirmed Bronson.

Luckily for drivers who are less experienced or don't have a recognizable name to fall back on, some sponsors believe in looking for the undiscovered talent. "There are many 'up and coming' drivers on the Busch circuit. The drivers with talent will rise through the ranks, and make a name for themselves," explains Terri Hulette, from Link-Belt Construction Equipment. Link-Belt currently sponsors Wayne Grubb, # 83 Chevrolet owned by Grubb Motorsports in the Busch series.

The Busch circuit this season has played host to a lot of young 'up and coming' drivers who just starting out. Hulette notes that "With age comes wisdom, knowledge, and experience. Although our driver is a young 23-year-old, we have seen tremendous improvement on the patience he uses and the decisions he makes on track in the three years we have sponsored him."

The sole purpose of sponsoring a driver and team is to sell a product, therefore sponsors must be aware of the image that the team and driver portrays. Bronson remarks "Image factor is important, as fans need to associate the team with your products. Bad image could translate to bad product. No one wants that. Generally we look for a driver with a good-guy image, someone who relates to fans and who can 'sell' our products."

"Racing reaches a broad population - blue-collar workers to executive, both male and female. Link-Belt is one of only a handful of construction equipment companies involved in racing. The 'image factor' is very important for our product, as is exposure, brand name recognition, and promotion," answers Hulette.

Well that's it for this report. Until next time race fans, take care and remember Safety First!

Nikki

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