If you know me, you know I love Nascar. I love all types of racing to be completely honest. Every Sunday I watch every single lap. I root for my favorite driver with beer in hand. It came as a shock to us all when the primary sponsor, Sprint, announced they are leaving Nascar. They’ve done so much for the sport over the years. It finally became normal to say Sprint Cup Series. I’m happy to announce Monster Energy as the new Nascar sponsor.
Nascar sponsors over the years
When my grandfather introduced me to Nascar racing, Winston cigarettes was the primary sponsor. They were also the primary sponsor for the NHRA Drag Racing Series as well. The red and white cars shined as they raced across the television screen. The official merchandise looked amazing and all was right in the world. Then the Government stepped in and decided that any Alcohol and Cigarette company should not be a sponsor, as kids might see them as cool and take up smoking and drinking. This really pissed me off.
After the long debate, Nextel stepped in as the primary sponsor. I had a Nextel phone, so I wasn’t too upset. The company had a lot of capital dollars. Not as much as the cigarette companies, but enough to sponsor the racing league. In 2008, Sprint became the Primary sponsor. Yes, another new Nascar sponsor. Well, Sprint bought Nextel. SO it was more of a branding switch instead of a brand new Nascar sponsor altogether. Under the name Sprint Cup Series, we’ve seen some amazing things. Jimmy Johnsson won 7 Nascar championships, two or three new generation’s of Nascar designs, and the introduction of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Maybe a new Nascar Sponsor is not a bad idea.
New Nascar Sponsor – Monster Energy
If you look at what Monster Energy is doing for the Supercross series, you can’t help but feel the excitement they plan to bring to the 2017 Nascar Series. I hope they bring a new list of events to each Nascar race. Sometimes during the Nascar Weekend, monster brings motorcycle riders and they set up large ramps to do some awesome tricks. It’s kind of cool to have other forms or entertainment during the weekend. Monster Energy is a large brand. They are involved in many forms of racing. Maybe we’ll see those at the tracks too
I’m hoping there will be many things to do at each race. AS of now, you kind of just tailgate for a while and you browse the Merchandise tents. With that business model, you can’t really complain when your fans become past our drunks in the bleachers. Can you? Tailgating will always be a part of racing, but hopefully, new forms of entertainment mean less time spent in the parking lot and more time doing fun and exciting things.
I’m also hoping to see new youthful sponsors in Nascar. Monster has teamed up with huge brands like DC Shoes, Honda Motorcycles and a number of Car manufacturers. Maybe we’ll finally get to see a DC Shoe car in the sport. I’d be very excited to wear a DC shoe jacket with the number #18 on the back. #JustSaying.
Have you seen the Monster Energy Youtube Channel? Their videos are amazing and I can’t wait to see the new take on showing Nascar in new and interesting ways online. I’m hoping they bring some of the camera technology with them. I’d love to see camera’s all around the track and footage of the entire race in super slow motion. If not, maybe just the wrecks and fights.
Sponsorship before the announcement.
Monster energy has sponsored a number of drivers across multiple racing series. Ken block in the #43 Monster Energy Ford Focus, Global RallyCross, is probably the one you would know the most. His videos have millions of views a day and brought new attention to racing series like RallyCross.
Monster Energy In Nascar
On December 1, NASCAR announced it had reached an agreement with Monster Energy to become the new sponsor of NASCAR’s premier series. Ricky Carmichael was the first Nascar Driver to bring the new Nascar Sponsor to the series. Ricky was racing in one of the lower series named the Camping World Truck Series. Two seasons went by and Ricky hung up his racing gear for good.
Kyle Busch, my favorite driver, reached out to the new Nascar Sponsor. He was starting a new Nationwide Team. Monster Energy agreed and the #54 Monster Energy Toyota was born. Kyle and his brother Kurt Busch were the primary drivers of the #54 for two years. They won multiple races together and ultimately lead Kurt Busch to earn a ride in the Sprint Cup Series with Stewart-Hass Racing. The Kyle Busch Motorsports team won multiple owners championships with both drivers. Again, it seems all was right in the world.
In 2015, Nascar made a new rule that stated each driver had to declare the series in which they would race for points. Meaning that Kyle and Kurt Busch would declare they would run for points in the Nascar Sprint Cup Series. Any race they participated in, other than the Sprint Cup Series, they would not earn points. This lead to Kyle Busch Motorsports bringing on new, young, drivers. At the time, I was not the biggest fan of the new rule. I wanted to watch Kyle race in every series. He still does, but he just isn’t motivated to race in lower series. Kyle still races in the lower series, but it’s more to gather information on the track and how he could apply his learnings to the race on Sunday.
Overall, I’m excited to see the new Nascar sponsor step up and make some needed improvements to the racing series.