The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
NASCAR hopes for boost after changes
NASCAR has a new sponsor, a new format and welcomes back its most popular driver, all providing optimism for a series eager to halt a steady decline in attendance, ratings and sponsorship.
DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. >> NASCAR has a new sponsor, a new format and welcomes back its most popular driver, all providing optimism for a series eager to halt a steady decline in attendance, ratings and sponsorship.
Money is down across the board and everyone is doing more with less to try to save a buck.
The on-track product for the stock car series officially reports for work Friday at Daytona International Speedway, which hosts the Feb. 26 season-opening “Great American Race.” It will kick off a season of hold-your-breath, we-really-hope-this-works efforts by NASCAR, the networks, tracks, teams and drivers to turn things around.
This season begins with Monster Energy roaring into its debut year as title sponsor amid promised marketing to millennials and the opportunity to lure new eyeballs to a sport with an aging audience. Part of the new razzle-dazzle approach is a wholesale redesign of the definition of a NASCAR race.
Remember how NASCAR just ran in circles for 500 miles nearly every Sunday for hours on end? Well, this year it’s about “enhanced competition” in segments broken up over three periods. Think of it like innings in baseball or quarters in football or basketball. More accurately, the quick first two segments are now the appetizer to the longer main event. In the meantime, you get to go grab a beer as the television networks promise to use the breaks between segments to dump all the commercials.
Even better, you won’t have to wait for Nationwide’s beloved “Water Cooler Dale” commercial to see NASCAR’s most popular driver. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is cleared for competition after missing the second half of last season with a concussion. Earnhardt’s sidelining absolutely cut into the audience, and had to send shivers down NASCAR’s spine over its dwindling cast of superstars.
Jeff Gordon is in the TV booth now, Tony Stewart is retired. They had seven championships between them and NASCAR is counting on Earnhardt to bring his fan base back to the track with him.
But even Dale is different! He’s married, head-overheels in love and you can double-click his Instagram account if you like photos of a man who has finally, in his 18th season, settled into his skin and found a peace that he is sharing with the entire world.
“Getting married has been incredible. I wish I would have figured this all out sooner,” he said. “I’m frustrated with myself that I took so long to grow up because I have an amazing wife and she’s changed my life. She’s really helped me as a person to become better on all fronts — personally, and all my friendships with people and how I react to people and treat people. And, obviously, in my professional life, she’s helped me as a driver.”
Sponsor fight
Nature’s Bakery vowed to fight Stewart-Haas Racing in court, saying it wouldn’t be bullied by one of NASCAR’s top teams over a $31 million breach-of-contract lawsuit filed in a sponsorship dispute involving driver Danica Patrick.
The Reno, Nevada-based food company, one of the smallest primary sponsors in NASCAR, severed its sponsorship agreement with SHR and Patrick after the first year of a three-year deal. SHR responded with a scathing lawsuit in which it accused Nature’s Bakery of having cash-flow issues and concocting reasons for pulling out.
Nature’s Bakery CEO Kelly Allin said the company was “thrown off by SHR’s lawsuit” and had plans to meet in Charlotte, North Carolina, days before the suit was filed.
“Contrary to its image, SHR is run by big-business types that took advantage of Nature’s Bakery,” Allin said. “They now are threatening scorched-earth litigation against a multi-generational family company. We’re obviously not going to let them bully us. We may be a small brand, but we do not think what they are doing is right. We look forward to defending ourselves in court.”
Nature’s Bakery said it will file a detailed response and counterclaims shortly that will “shed light on SHR’s conduct both during the race season and after.”
“They can file whatever they want. We’re confident with our position,” said SHR president Brett Frood.