NASCAR is more than just left turns. It’s a right turn for consumer spending

For the bulk of my adult life seems I’ve covered sports in one form or another. To be candid, it wasn’t my first choice. The attitudes by some players can keep a die hard fan from being enthusiastic about a sport these day. This may be why I enjoy NASCAR and other motor sports.

In NASCAR the attitude is different, many drivers know their appearance in the race is based on luck as it is talent. As a whole drivers are grateful for the time they get on the track. A few bad weekends or a dropped sponsor, which there are more of these days, can put a great driver back home watching the race on the couch. The drivers sincerely try to interact with the fans as much as possible. It might be partly to keep their marketing value high, but it works.

What makes NASCAR a fun event to watch and attend is the fans. Your average NASCAR fan is, to use an overused phrase, your “Average Joe”. The fans are happy, loyal to a fault and are still courteous to other fans supporting another driver on the track. You won’t see that when the Yankees and Red Sox are playing each other.

Today I had gentleman say “I don’t need to watch NASCAR, I’ve seen a car turn left before”. He wasn’t from the south or any part of the states, he was from the Great White North. That might explain his ease of make light of the sport born in the south. His comment did cause me to drop back and think about it why NASCAR is an important part of American life.

NASCAR was the first sport to openly welcome in sponsors and advertisers when the practice wasn’t the norm. Corporate sponsorship in NASCAR got tip of the hat in the form of a parody in the movie Stroker Ace. In the title role Burt Reynolds donned a chicken costume to film commercials for his sponsor, The Chicken Pit – The Fastest Chicken in the South.

The infusion of dollars helped the sport expand, offer larger prizes, increase attendance and create a marketing juggernaut. Through the years I’ve noticed that when someone new to the sport begins watching a race they start to cheer for the car that has been “race wrapped” with a product they have an affinity with. On the other side the coin you will fans that will buy anything that their favorite driver is sponsored by. Just imagine if Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had asparagus on his fire suit, people might start eating the stuff.

NASCAR has been doing something for years that the White House is wanting get done. Increase consumer confidence and spending. Drivers like Joe Nemechek were driving around the track with a plain hood this past weekend in Atlanta. It should a plant seed of thought in the fertile mind of Ben Bernanke. The Fed could sponsor some of the under financed teams this with a “Go Buy Something” campaign. Mr. Bernake you can use that phrase for free, it will be the cheapest part of the bailout. Consider it my contribution to the recovery. It could help make the bailout an easier pill to swallow. Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday. The average cost per job saved by a Fed sponsorship would be lower than some we have already seen in finance sector.

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