Talalay: NASCAR still attractive to other sports
Now it's an NHL owner joining NASCAR's ranks.
Last week, Montreal Canadiens owner George Gillett partnered with Ray Evernham to create Gillett Evernham Motorsports. The partnership is being billed as a business enterprise to take advantage of Evernham’s on-track success and Gillett’s business and marketing savvy. Gillett is also a co-owner of British soccer team Liverpool and other business holdings include Gillett Entertainment Group, which produces sports and entertainment events across North America; ski and golf resorts; and auto dealerships.
In February, Fenway Sports Group purchased 50 percent of Roush Racing to form Roush Fenway Racing. FSG is a subsidiary of New England Sports Ventures, which includes the Red Sox and Fenway Park. The Red Sox held a NASCAR night at Fenway Park in June in conjunction with the NASCAR race in New Hampshire.
And there’s been a long-standing connection between NASCAR and the NFL. Washington Redskins Coach Joe Gibbs began Joe Gibbs Racing in 1992. Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman own a NASCAR team. Former quarterbacks Jim Kelly and Terry Bradshaw co-own different Busch Series teams.
For some, the explanation is simply that they love racing and the competition. From a business standpoint, the partnerships offer ways to broaden the audience for the respective owners’ sports.
“I think in some ways it’s a unique form of sports marketing experimentation,” said Paul Swangard, managing director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon.
Even though NASCAR may have reached a plateau in its fan growth, the opportunities for cross-promotion are many, including team logos and sponsorships across both sports' venues.
Swangard said NASCAR’s “proven success in sponsorship activation” alone make it a good bet. “You’ve got to look at the core fundamentals of the business. Do they have a loyal fan base? Yes. Sponsors who think it’s a good value? Yes. I would say those are good fundamentals.”
But it remains to be seen if using NASCAR to promote the NHL will be successful.
CRAIG DAVIS In more than 33 years at the Sun Sentinel, Craig Davis has written about a wide variety of sports topics from baseball to yachting, fishing to triathlons, and also worked as a copy editor and page designer. Recently he reported on local sports, including running, swimming, cycling, equestrian and beach volleyball. He enjoys sports as a participant as well as a spectator, is active in the South Florida running scene plays in the curling club at Saveology Iceplex. This blog offers a glimpse at the business side of sports in the interest of enhancing enjoyment of the games and sporting options as a spectator as well as a participant.
