TAD = NASCAR's Busch Series...

This was writen in Ashly's Press Release...

"In fact, she returns to Billy Meyer's Texas Motorplex for this week's 20th annual O'Reilly Auto Parts Fall Nationals, presented by Castrol SYNTEC , as the defending champion in the Top Alcohol Dragster division, the drag racing equivalent of NASCAR's Busch Series"

Yah, right... What a bunch of cr*p, If we are like the Busch Series than where's all the $$$/sponsers?

 

The $$$ sponsors are with Ashley !!!! If your last name is Force or Lucas then maybe TAD is like the Bush series. Sad but true. Racing is pretty much like real life. There are those that have and thoes that have not but keep trying to get it.

 

Yeah no shit, that's some comical stuff. Hell the pro deal even ain't
equivalent of NASCAR's Busch Series. Talk about blownin' smoke up someones ass.

 

I think they were referring to the fact that TAD is the training ground for the pro ranks. As far as the funding goes, a lot of drag racers think they can just walk in to a potential sponsor's office and they will give them money to put their name on the car. You don't have to have the Force name (although that doesn't hurt)There are people out there with sponsors now. Sponsors have the money we seek because they are usually good business people. Unless you find someone that has a ton of money and loves drag racing, you are going to have to give them something for their money that is tangible. They are looking for a good return on their investment (ROI). If you want to get sponsorship money, you are going to have think like a business person, present yourself business-like at all times, and have a plan to make your sponsor money on the money they are investing in your program. If they are not making money, they will not have any to give you.

 

Joe,
Thanks for the valuable lesson in sponsorships 101.

 

Joe,

The problem is what does a sponser get for his money in TAD? Not very much. Maybe if the car can gets into the second round of a National Event and wins they might get interviewed. (We did and the TV crew interviewed Ashley, She had lost the race before ours). NHRA does nothing to promote the class unlike NASCAR with the Busch series. That was what my point was...

 

I agree that NHRA doesn't do much to promote TAD just like NASCAR didn't promote the Busch series several years ago. But remember, it wasn't too long ago that our class got zero TV time. Even if Ashley or whoever gets interviewed, it shows the sponsor that there is a chance of getting on TV. You can't get mad at Ashley for getting the attention. It is a good thing to bring attention to the class. A lot of people hated that Force got all the attention in FC, but would NHRA really be where it is without him? Ashley will not be in the class forever, and then the attention will be there for whomever is ready for the cameras. They are going to show those that are "good TV". NASCAR cup cars became too expensive for some sponsors and the Busch cars looked the same to a layman so the displays worked. Hard core fans will know the difference, but casual fans just want to see a race car up close and talk to someone about them. What you can offer a sponsor could be displays, Company contests for pit crew for a day, and if you do get on TV make sure it is good for them. Winning isn't everything to sponsors, Look at Bernstein, he has had many droughts, but he is always working for the sponsor by going to the plants and speaking, doing autographs or whatever. Force used to do several autograph sessions before every race and had display cars all the time before and during his tear on the FC class. We did a display in Reno at hot August nights and it was a big hit with all the people, most of whom thought it was a TF car; in return our sponsor got a lot of exposure. If the class is going to go forward and attract sponsors, we are going to have to do it ourselves; neither NHRA nor anyone else is going to do it for us.

Man, no wonder everyone says I talk a lot, I can't even write a short thought....

 

I think one of the best tools for getting or showing a sponsor what you are getting for them in exposure was when Federal Mogul sponsored the series and they gave you print out at the end of the year of how much TV time that you had recieved and what that equaled in a dollar amount. I don't know if they still send that out but it was great tool when they did.

 

They do have the data. You can call Mario at the NHRA offices, and he can give you the exposure data that gives advertising dollar value.