Listen, you won’t believe what I heard down at the general store the other day. They was talkin’ about them NASCAR cars, the ones that go round and round real fast. And you know what? It’s about that sponsorship. That’s how much does a NASCAR sponsorship cost, I reckon.
Now, I ain’t no expert on these fancy things, but it seems like it costs a pretty penny to get your name on one of them cars. They were saying a company, you know like them big stores, has to pay a whole heap of money just to be a, what did they call it? A “primary sponsor.” It’s like the main person payin’ for the show. It’s a big deal.
And get this, for just one race, just one time around that track, it can cost, they said, somethin’ like $350,000 to $500,000! Can you believe that? That’s more money than I’ve seen in my whole life! I thought I was gonna faint right there by the pickle barrel. It’s a lot of money.
But then, they started talkin’ about how if you’re just a little fish, you know, not a big shot, you can still get your name on the car somewhere. They called it an “Associate” something or other. It costs like $500,000 to $2 million. Still a load of money, that’s for sure. It’s like puttin’ your name on the back or the side of the car. I guess it’s like getting a little piece of the pie, but a mighty expensive piece, if you ask me.
And it ain’t just the car, neither. They said there’s somethin’ called a “race entitlement sponsorship”. They said, it will cost you 1 million at least, or even 4 million or 5 million. Lord have mercy! You get to be the big cheese for the whole race, I guess. That means you get some fancy seats and your name gets mentioned a lot. But for that kind of money, I’d want my own gold-plated car!
You get the basic things, like your big name on the hood, the sides, and that TV thingy. Plus, you get to talk to folks, be on social media, sit in the pit box like a king, and even get some of them drivers to come say hello. That is what the primary NASCAR sponsorship means. Sounds pretty fancy, huh? It is really a big deal. But the cost is really high!
Here is a list for what will you get for the sponsorship:
- Your logo on the hood.
- Your logo on rear quarter panels.
- Your logo on TV panel.
- PR and Social Media support.
- Sponsor’s seats in the pit box.
- 6-8 team garage hot passes for each race.
- Hospitality opportunities.
- Driver appearances.
Now, they were also sayin’ that NASCAR, that’s the big boss of all this racin’, they own the numbers on the cars. Ain’t that somethin’? The drivers don’t even get to pick their own numbers, unless NASCAR says it’s okay. Unlike Formula One, what a mess! It is all about the money.
And these companies, they sign deals for a whole year of racin’. It is like a long-term thing. And the price, well, it depends on how good the team is, I suppose. They say it’s different for each team, depends on how many people will see your name, and all that. It is like how many folks gonna see your name on TV or at the race. The more, the better. But it is also a gamble, I reckon. If the team is not so good, you might not get many eyes on your name.
I heard that some big company, they called it “M&M’s,” I think, pays like $20 million every year to have their name on a car. Now that is just crazy! They put their name on the car, and I guess they sell a lot of candy that way. I don’t know what “Forbes” is, but that’s where they got that big number from. They must be some kind of big news place. They sell candy and other things. I like candy, but not that much to pay that much money!
But it makes you think, don’t it? All that money just for a name on a car. I guess it’s a big business, this NASCAR racin’. But for us regular folks, it’s just somethin’ to watch on a Sunday afternoon. It’s all just a big show, ain’t it? And a mighty expensive one at that.
So, if you ever see one of them NASCAR cars with all them names on it, just remember, someone paid a whole lot of money to be there. It’s a wild world, that’s for sure. I reckon I’ll stick to my garden and my chickens. It’s a whole lot cheaper, and a whole lot less confusing!
