Ford shuns Stock and Super Stock support

[jwsamuel]

Originally Posted by Jesse Kershaw

They have enough resources to do both. Racing and performance parts is a win-win industry where people can be thrilled you have something to sell them and you can make great money doing it.

I have been on both sides of sponsorship and it is really not a win-win for all. The least important part of a racing sponsorship is the car on the track. What is most important is what the driver and team can do for them away from the track.

In the case of Ford, will dealers be excited to meet the driver during annual meetings and dealer conferences? Will the team be able to take a show car to dealerships and have the driver make public appearances at the dealerships and elsewhere whenever a national event comes to town? Will dealers and customers be able to follow the driver and team on TV?

I used to work for a company that has sponsored a NASCAR team for more than 20 years. At the time I worked for them, they had a driver who rarely won races but they were very happy with the driver because he was great with their customers. When they took him to a trade show to meet buyers from national store chains, the driver really knew how to interact with the buyers and make them feel special. He was also great with fans at the track.

Sponsors are more interested in what the deal gets them off the track than on.

Originally Posted by Jesse Kershaw

The money Ford is leaving on the table right now has me salivating at the opportunities.

Ford is not leaving any money on the table. It has the data that shows them where to put its money to bring the highest return.