“Who’s Courting Whom? Reflections on a Race Weekend”

It’s what every hungry driver wants. It’s the most coveted thing an owner can possess. It’s talked about all the time. What is this most precious of things in our beloved sport? A win? Every hungry driver wants one, but no. A championship? Owners with one or more are heralded, but no. What could be so all important that it is literally the driving force of every race team? Sponsorship, of course.

   Owners spend countless hours in search of sponsorship. They and their representatives become salesmen for why a company should spend their marketing money on racing. Like a well-choreographed courtship, the owners do whatever it takes to get a date with sponsors. With promotional possibilities in hand, a proposal is made in hopes of a marriage between sponsor and team. Once the union has been finalized, does the courtship end? Absolutely not, but then who’s courting whom?

   We all know the driver has huge media responsibilities to his/her sponsors. That is evident not only with every interview, but also behind the scenes at the track. On a week-to-week basis, sponsors come to the track. Drivers spend what time they have outside the cars or trucks still wining and dining the sponsors to let them see just how important their support is.

   I have been blessed enough on many occasions to be able to witness drivers courting their sponsors; however, this weekend, I truly realized that the courtship is not just a two way street. Instead, it is a three way street-- driver, sponsor, and, yes, the fans.

   The responsibility of courtship also falls on our shoulders. Many times we have said that we would email sponsors, write letters, or tell them personally that we thank them for supporting our driver. Do we follow through? We buy their product; we are a loyal bunch, but do we tell them why? Often times, not.

   This weekend, my friends and I had the chance, and it felt very right. We had the opportunity to meet some of the sponsors of one of our favorite drivers. At first intimidated because they were “sponsors”, we broke the ice by smiling, shaking their hands, introducing ourselves, and thanking them for sponsoring our man. We talked about what a great person he is and how well we thought he represented their company. We thanked them for their commitment to the race team. But more than just words, we showed them.

   This particular sponsor is not a high profile sponsor like Lowe’s, Budweiser, Office Depot, or Napa; therefore, merchandising is not nationally abundant for this company. Imagine the glee on the faces of these representatives when we pulled pens from our bags with their company logo on it! They were thrilled! Cha-ching!!! What the sponsors also saw was how the driver interacted with us and how we interacted with him. It spoke volumes. The smiles on their faces proved that they knew this driver was representing them in a way that brought pride and class to their business. They saw first hand why we support our driver. What better advertisement can there be?

   So yes, part of the courtship falls very much on our shoulders. If you happen to be able to talk to sponsors at the track, do it! Tell them thank you for supporting your driver. If not at the track, the next time you walk into Zaxby’s or Long John Silver’s or Taco Bell or any NASCAR sponsor’s business, take the extra minute to speak to the manager or fill out the comment card and tell them why you chose to spend your hard-earned money with them. If walking into the store isn’t an option, take a few minutes online to contact them and say that you buy their product because they support your driver and the sport we love! Remember our words and actions are ultimately the reason why sponsors are on the hoods. Keep courting your sponsors or otherwise the marriage of race team and sponsor could be destined for divorce.

                     ~Susan Catto

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