The New Model in Sponsorship
Companies spend millions on it…pure brand awareness by placing their logo on a major team’s car. Then, they turn around and spend millions more activating the sponsorship through sampling, retail activity, and other major promotional efforts. This is a long-standing model in the sports marketing business, and works well for brands that have an awareness issue or are battling head-to-head with their competitor who sponsors a rival car. As long as your driver is popular and runs up front, it usually goes pretty well.

But what about a sponsorship that could provide more? What about using NASCAR as a way to generate equity and affinity for a brand by making a bigger statement about that brand’s values? What about a team that potentially comes with 9.3 million instant fans – before the driver races his first race?

Sponsor The SkillsUSA Team
We will create the #83 SkillsUSA team, to be sponsored by one or two major sponsors and co-branded with SkillsUSA. The title sponsor will maintain significant presence on key areas of the SkillsUSA car, driver and crew uniforms and all promotional materials. Sponsors will also reap the rewards of a stronger, more PR-worthy idea, an immediate fan base, and more effective activation opportunities because of the strong history and values of SkillsUSA.

Customizing a Sponsorship
Because of the versatility and caliber of the team and the unique opportunity that this sponsorship represents, we are willing to customize a schedule for 2008. This schedule could include a mix of Nationwide (formerly Busch), Craftsman Truck and Grand National Division Busch East Series races.

NASCAR Nationwide Series
The Nationwide Series is one of NASCAR’s three top national touring series, along with the Nextel Cup Series and the Craftsman truck Series. Consisting of 35 races in 2007, its schedule mirrors the Cup schedule for the majority of the season, creating high attendance levels (50,000 – 100,000) and drawing national television coverage (ESPN began showing all the races live in 2007).

Although it is still considered a “proving ground” of sorts for the Nextel Cup Series races, the events are often populated with Nextel Cup drivers as a “warm-up” for the following day’s Cup event.

NASCAR Camping World East Series
The NASCAR Camping World Series is compiled of the NASCAR East and West Series. This division represents NASCAR’s top regional touring series, where competitors will refine their skills before making the jump to one of NASCAR’s three national series.

The average attendance per race is 5,000 – 8,000 spectators at short tracks and 400 – 600 people in the garage area. At superspeedways the attendance is significantly higher, depending on the companion event. The majority of races are televised live on HDNet, and tape delayed approximately one week late on SPEED Channel. In 2006, over 650,000 total viewers tuned in to all 9 events that is an average of almost 73,000 households that tuned into each event.