NASCAR Corporate and France Family News Page 2

Feb. 27, 2005

NASCAR Pioneer Passes Away: Paul Sawyer, a maverick who was part of stock car racing's development from a regional sport to an international phenomenon as the owner of Richmond International Raceway, has died. He was 88. Sawyer, who had been battling lung cancer since August and also had diabetes, died at a hospital late Saturday night from complications of pneumonia, his son Billy said. "The entire family was with him, and we had been with him all week," Billy Sawyer said Sunday.  Starting with a small dirt track he bought with partner Joe Weatherly in 1955, Sawyer gradually turned the small "Atlantic Rural Fairground" short track in Richmond into a three-quarter-mile oval with more than 100,000 seats. Twice he tore up the surface, once in 1968 to pave it with asphalt, and then again 20 years later to create the unique oval that is among the most popular among Nextel Cup racers today. (ABC News)

Helton Remarks on Sawyer: Former Richmond International Raceway owner/promoter Paul Sawyer, who died at 88 Saturday evening, received high praise in Sunday's drivers' meeting from NASCAR president Mike Helton.  "A lot of you in this room don't know much about Paul Sawyer," Helton said. "But I think if you see stories about him this week you ought to make a point of reading them.  "Paul Sawyer was a legend of our sport, in the mold of men like Enoch Staley (North Wilkesboro Speedway) and Clay Earles (Martinsville Speedway) -- who are responsible for making the sport what it is today." Earles' grandson, Clay Campbell, cited Sawyer as a "pioneer" in a statement the track released Sunday afternoon. (NASCAR)

Feb. 19, 2005

NEXTEL Change After 2006?  Nextel Chief Operating Officer Tom Kelly said his company's pending merger with Sprint could be finalized as early as July. If the deal doesn't close before September, Kelly said the Nextel Cup Series wouldn't face any potential name changes until after 2006.  Kelly said the popular Nextel Experience at-track exhibit will be expanded in 2005 along with more national promotions, and Nextel also will focus heavily on promoting its all-star race in Charlotte, N.C., working with the city to make it a "multiday event."  The '06 schedule hasn't been decided, but Kelly said there have been no discussions about moving the all-star race to Richmond International Raceway, which is about 100 miles from Nextel headquarters in Reston.(Richmond Times Dispatch)

Feb. 16, 2005

NASCAR Day to Support Local Hospital: The second annual NASCAR Day will aim to assist the local community with the addition of Speediatrics, a NASCAR-themed pediatric unit located at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach and Homestead Hospital in Miami, as a beneficiary. NASCAR Day, NASCAR’s largest annual charity, will be held on Friday, May 20, the weekend of the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge. In exchange for a $5 donation to the 2005 NASCAR Day Designated Charities, fans, businesses and schools will be able to wear their favorite NASCAR gear to work that Friday. In addition, participants will receive a commemorative NASCAR Day 2005 lapel pin “I’m extremely excited about this relationship between two great initiatives,” said Betty Jane France, creator of the Speediatrics concept. “Everyone stands to win because of this relationship – starting with the children.” (Truck Series)

Feb. 12, 2005

NEXTEL To Stay? NEXTEL Cup in 2006? The merger of Nextel and Sprint will produce a company called Sprint-Nextel, but that doesn't necessarily mean the name of the Nextel Cup series will change. "No decision on that will be made probably until the August time frame,'' Mark Schweitzer, senior vice president of Nextel, said Thursday. "We're going to be careful and cautious about that. We spent a lot of money building it out in the first year. The industry and fans have embraced it. So we'll study that decision carefully. The Nextel brand assets are a really important part of the merger.'' The $35 billion merger was announced in December and still has to receive approval through the regulatory process. That could take several more months. Schweitzer said decisions haven't been made on whether any Nextel and Sprint products and services will retain their current identities or receive a combination name. He pointed out that after the Exxon and Mobil oil companies merged, they kept separate brand identities for their service stations. "We're in that process of evaluating the brand equities of the two companies, and we're being open-minded and letting the research and the discussions manage the process vs. going in with an agenda.'' Schweitzer said the new company will remain committed to NASCAR and that spending on marketing should increase. "They [Sprint] spend three times what Nextel spends in advertising, so in helping build the awareness of the sport - the sponsorship certainly, but the sport more generally - that should translate into more positive investment.'' If the sponsorship name does change for 2006, it would be the second change in three years. (Tampa Tribune)

Feb. 10, 2005

NASCAR sets deadline for Sprint-NEXTEL:  Nextel officials confirmed Thursday they must have a firm plan in place by mid-September if the new merged Sprint Nextel company decides it will seek a name change of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. The $35 billion transaction announced in December will create a company with more than 35 million wireless subscribers. Sprint would get access to Nextel's 15.3 million subscribers, a number that increased this year as NASCAR fans switched to Nextel as their cell phone provider. "There are some constraints on what we can do working together before the deal is closed, but we've begun working with our counterparts (at Sprint) and looking at the brand research for Sprint, brand research for Nextel, by segment," said Mark Schweitzer, senior vice president of marketing for Nextel.  "Some of it depends on the regulatory approval timing, but if, hypothetically, it were to come together by August we would be in position to make that announcement (of a change) by the end of August, or certainly to later than (September)." (That'sRacin)

NASCAR Launches Membership Card:  NASCAR's 75 million fans have been called the most passionate, loyal and devoted fans in all of sport. In appreciation, NASCAR, its legendary champions and top drivers are inviting the sport's most avid fans to become part of the official NASCAR family and achieve official insider status. Now NASCAR fans across the globe will be able to be recognized for their loyalty and enjoy exclusive privileges available only to members of the Official NASCAR Members Club(SM), which was launched today at fabled Daytona International Speedway (DIS).  The Club's National Membership Chairman, Richard Petty, as well as the largest group of legendary NASCAR Cup Series champions ever assembled, were on hand as Stoneacre Partners, LLC, and NASCAR unveiled the Official NASCAR Members Club and invited race fans everywhere to join as charter members in 2005. The Official NASCAR Members Club will be a member organization designed to strengthen the every day connection between NASCAR fans and the sport they love. The NASCAR Members Club is the only member club licensed by NASCAR that is open to all race fans age 13 and above.

The Official NASCAR Members Club is adding exclusive "Members Only" access opportunities, benefits and rewards every day. Some of the first exciting rewards include:

     * Opportunities to receive unique behind-the-scenes access and
       experiences, such as NASCAR VIP treatment at NASCAR races
     * Special events and race week parties at and away from the track
     * Membership magazine that will include lifestyle stories from top
       drivers, teams, NASCAR legends and other Club members
     * On-going communications, including NASCAR inside information, e-mails,
       updated Club information in the members only newsletter and access to a
       members only website
     * Unique "Members Only" merchandise and "First Look" access to authentic
       NASCAR items, collectibles and apparel lines
     * Special deals, offers and NASCAR partner discounts
     * Inclusion in local chapter organizations that will be formed in local
       communities with activities including race-viewing parties and other
       special Club Member events
 

More On Card

France Says No to NFL and leaves no timetable for retirement:  Despite speculation to the contrary in racing circles, Brian France says he has no plans to leave his job as NASCAR's chairman and CEO in the foreseeable future.  The racing rumor mill has France possibly leaving his job to try to bring an NFL franchise to Los Angeles."I can't tell you that we didn't inquire (about) the ownership (NFL) structure," France says. "We're solicited from time to time. But believe me when I tell you, there's nothing coming. You're not going to wake up in a month, or a year, or whatever and see that I'm owning, or my family's owning, any NFL team. I would be stunned if that were the case."   (USA Today)( France Family News)

Feb. 9, 2005

Office Depot Teams Up With NASCAR: Office Depot is offering its customers the chance to become the "Official Small Business of NASCAR" courtesy of Office Depot. This new promotion, showcased in Office Depot's first NASCAR television advertising campaign, uses NASCAR to reach small businesses — the core customer base for Office Depot, according to a Business Wire report.  The promotion and accompanying ad campaign are central components in Office Depot's multi-faceted Taking Care of Business marketing and brand positioning program. Last month, Office Depot introduced NASCAR as its new sports sponsorship platform, entering into a multi-year agreement with NASCAR to become the sport's first-ever Official Office Products Partner. In addition, beginning with the Daytona 500 (February 20, FOX, 1 p.m.), Office Depot is the primary sponsor of the No. 99 Office Depot Ford Taurus for a minimum of nine races in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and an associate sponsor for the remaining races in the season. (Retail Merchandiser)

Feb. 8, 2005:

NASCAR and Wal-Mart: National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) announced "NASCAR Comes to Wal-Mart," a major event at more than 1,100 Wal-Mart stores to draw attention to the start of the 2005 NASCAR season. The promotion will roll into 43 NASCAR race markets throughout the 10-month 2005 NASCAR season.  To kick off the NASCAR season, more than 1,100 Wal-Mart stores within 50 miles of 36 race markets in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and seven markets in the NASCAR Busch Series will participate in the NASCAR promotion. Wal-Mart stores will feature NASCAR-themed point-of-sale displays for partners such as Duracell, Gillette, Jack Link's, Ice Breakers and Kodak in the NASCAR promotion. The NASCAR Fan Guide will feature NASCAR highlights and milestones, team rosters, the 2005 NASCAR schedules, and shopping lists of items that fans can purchase enhance their racing experience. More than one million NASCAR Fan Guides were developed exclusively for the promotion (Retail Merchandiser)

Feb. 2, 2005:

NASCAR Set to Celebrate Black History Month: NASCAR has announced a month-long series of events to celebrate Black History Month.  "The events surrounding Black History Month are a part of our ongoing attempt to raise awareness in all communities about NASCAR's on-track and off-track opportunities throughout the sport," said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France. "We are committed to making our sport -- on and off the race track -- look more like America."   The month kicks off with a Drive for Diversity forum to include students in the North Carolina A&T State University Motorsports program. The seminar will feature representatives from NASCAR, Drive for Diversity, the Joe Gibbs/Reggie White Driver Development Program and other industry experts answering questions from students about the opportunities in the motorsports industry.  (NASCAR)

January 21, 2005 - NASCAR to Fight Piracy: The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) will implement a hologram program for its licensees that will signal to fans that the NASCAR merchandise they purchase is authentic. The program will require all licensees producing NASCAR-licensed merchandise to affix to the products a specially-designed hologram. By making it easy to identify counterfeit goods, the hologram program will help to protect drivers and teams whose likenesses and logos are increasingly exploited in imitation products.  "With the increasing popularity of NASCAR and the expansion of our licensing business, knock-off goods are a growing problem in our sport," said Mark Dyer, vp of licensing for NASCAR. "The hologram program will assure fans that they've purchased high-quality, authentic NASCAR licensed merchandise that supports their favorite drivers and teams." (Retail Merchandiser)

NASCAR going with Electronics: Team members yearning for more consistent enforcement of pit road speeding penalties are about to get their wish in the form of a new electronic monitoring system. But to hear Nextel Cup Series director John Darby explain it, the teams' next wish might be to go back to the old system. "I think the line of 'be careful what you ask for' people is going to be way long for a while," Darby says. "Because one thing about doing it electronically is it's hard-fast. And the day somebody's got to goose a throttle a little bit to avoid a wreck and they get nailed for speeding, it's not going to make sense to them. So that's the downside." (USA Today)

January  20, 2005 - NASCAR announces Daytona Qualifying Changes: NASCAR officials are set to announce new qualifying procedures for this season’s Daytona 500 which will ensure participation in the race by the top-35 teams in 2004 car owners points, ThatsRacin.com has learned. Last week, NASCAR announced new procedures for the season in which the top 35 teams in the Nextel Cup Series are guaranteed starting spots in each race provided they meet the entry deadline and make a qualifying attempt. The top 30 are guaranteed spots for Busch and Craftsman Truck Series races under the same provisions. Left unresolved was procedures for the Daytona 500, which has traditionally used qualifying races to set its field. NASCAR’s new Daytona procedures, which were relayed to car owners attending Thursday’s preseason test at Daytona International Speedway, will be similar to the policy for the remainder of the season’s races, sources said. (ThatsRacin)

January 19, 2005 -  NASCAR former executive takes over NBA team today officially: Former NASCAR executive Brett Yormark was hired as president and chief executive officer of the parent company of the NBA's New Jersey Nets on Wednesday.  Yormark will lead the business and marketing operations of Nets Sports & Entertainment, LLC, including corporate sponsorships, marketing partnerships and ticket sales. Yormark also will be responsible for developing the business and strategic marketing for a new arena planned for Brooklyn.  Nets President Rod Thorn will remain in charge of the team's basketball operations.  Yormark, who had two previous jobs with the Nets, had been with NASCAR since 1998. He was the managing director of corporate marketing for the stock car sport before serving as president of corporate marketing, developing partnerships with more than 50 of America's biggest companies. (AP/MyrtleBeachOnline)

January 18, 2005  NASCAR Viewership Increased: NASCAR said Monday that all three of its national series drew more television viewers in 2004 than in 2003. Nielsen Media Research figures show that 196 million households tuned in to watch Nextel Cup events in 2004, a 2 percent increase over 2003. The Busch Series drew 52 million households, up 8 percent from 2003, while the Craftsman Truck Series drew 10.5 million households, a 22 percent increase over 2003. NASCAR also said today that an unprecedented 38 races from all three series will be aired during television's prime-time evening hours this year.(NASCAR Scene Daily Newsletter)

January 17, 2005  Honda in NASCAR? With the debut of the Honda Ridgeline truck at the Los Angeles Auto Show earlier this month, speculation heated up that the Japanese automaker soon will follow Toyota's lead into the Craftsman Truck Series. Au contraire, says T.E. McHale, manager of motorsports public relations for Honda. "In the three years I've been here, I have heard no discussions in these hallways about getting into the NASCAR series," McHale says. "Honda is in racing to further its technology, and I'm not sure that NASCAR provides the right platform for us." McHale says Honda's emphasis is on winning its second Indy Racing League title. (FoxSports)

January 16, 2005 - Kanaan Wins Award; Earnhardt, Gordon and France's up for Half Century Award: Indy Racing League champion Tony Kanaan is the winner of the 2004 Jerry Titus award, the top driving award by the American Automobile Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association.  Longtime NHRA star Kenny Bernstein, a six-time season champion, was given the AARWBA's Pioneer in Racing award and was among the 11 nominees announced for the Newsmaker of the Half-Century Award.  The other nominees included Mario Andretti, Dale Earnhardt, John Force, Jeff Gordon, Dan Gurney and Richard Petty, NASCAR's founding France family, the Hulman-George family of Indianapolis fame, NHRA founder Wally Parks and racing entrepreneur Roger Penske. The Newsmaker of the Half-Century will be announced May 29 at the Indianapolis 500. (Kentucky.com)

January 15, 2005 - NASCAR stars to highlight Detroit Auto Show: NASCAR will take center stage when NBC Sports broadcasts its two-hour, live coverage of the "International Auto Show" on Sunday, Jan. 23 at 1 p.m. ET from the COBO Center in Detroit. As the sport prepares for the Great American Race, the Daytona 500, on February 20, NASCAR drivers, NASCAR cars, and the NASCAR on NBC announce team will give NBC's broadcast a taste of NASCAR to help get fns ready for the 2005 season. The NBC telecast will introduce scores of production and concept cars to the national viewing audience with features, live political convention-type coverage from the exhibit floor and test drives of selected vehicles by NASCAR stars including four-time champion Jeff Gordon and reigning NASCAR NEXTEL Cup champion Kurt Busch. Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jeff Burton, and Brian Vickers will introduce the '06 Monte Carlo.  Chevy Teammate Jeff Gordon will go "top down" in the new Corvette convertible. Ford drivers Kurt Busch and Elliott Sadler will test the new Ford Mustang. (NASCAR PR)

January 13, 2005 - NASCAR Changes Qualifying Procedure: NASCAR Thursday announced a new qualifying procedure for its three national touring series: Nextel Cup, Busch and Craftsman Trucks.  Per the procedure, a certain number of owners in each series will be guaranteed starting positions in their respective race fields based on owners' championship points, and all other entries will try for the remaining positions based on qualifying speeds. In the Nextel Cup Series, the top 35 owners in the point standings will be guaranteed starting positions somewhere within the top 42 positions in the 43-car field, based on their qualifying speeds. The other seven starters among the top 42 will line up based on their qualifying speed. In the Busch Series, the top 30 owners in the point standings will be guaranteed starting positions somewhere within the top 42 positions in the 43-car field, based on their qualifying speeds. The other 12 starters among the top 42 will line up based on their qualifying speed. In the Craftsman Truck Series, the top 30 owners in the point standings will be guaranteed starting positions somewhere within the top 35 positions of the 36-truck field, based on their qualifying speeds. The other five starters among the top 35 will line up based on their qualifying speed. (NASCAR PR)

January 12, 2005 - France to buy NFL Franchise? NASCAR chairman of the board and CEO Brian France has denied recent speculation that he might be in the market for a National Football League team. Speculation during the holidays was that France planned to sell his NASCAR and International Speedway Corp. stock [not public stock] to his sister, Lesa France Kennedy, and his uncle, Jim France. He would then buy outright or be part of a group that moved an existing NFL franchise to Los Angeles, where he once lived. Through a NASCAR spokesman, France said he was not interested in owning a professional football team. What such a bid might mean for France's role in NASCAR is unclear. The NFL at one time prohibited its owners from having a majority stake in another sports team, so it is unclear if France would have to abandon NASCAR to move into the NFL.(Autoweek.com and Winston Salem Journal)\

NFL interested in Auto Racing Series? The France-NFL report isn't the only NFL-NASCAR buzz here. There are reports - as outlandish as they may seem - that some NFL figures are interested in creating a stock-car series of their own, if they can persuade some top NASCAR team owners to sign on. According to sources, there was similar talk around the NFL in the early 1990s, when Joe Gibbs first joined NASCAR, after winning three Super Bowls as coach of the Washington Redskins. Finding enough big-market tracks on which to race would seem to be a problem; unless there is a Bruton Smith angle at play. (Winston Salem Journal)

January 11, 2005 - NASCAR VP heads for NBA: Brett Yormark, NASCAR vice president of corporate marketing, has submitted his resignation to the sanctioning body and will soon be announced as the chief executive officer of the NBA's New Jersey Nets. Not only did Yormark develop NASCAR's New York marketing office over the last six years, he was instrumental in closing the deal that made Nextel the title sponsor of NASCAR's premier series. Yormark returns to the Nets where he began his sports marketing career as an account executive in 1988.(FoxSports/Sporting News)

January 5, 2005 - Brian France Second Most Powerful in Sports: Power and stupidity are a frightening combination, and at this time a year ago, it appeared Brian France had summoned a bottomless reservoir of both in green-lighting the Chase for the NASCAR Nextel Cup.  There could be no doubt France had the power to make the change. NASCAR is family-owned, so other than maybe a difficult time at reunions ("Could you pass the potato salad — and stop destroying our sport, please?"), France didn't face terrible internal pressure to stand pat. But being able to do something — and doing it — are two different things. If taking on the NFL — a major reason for the Chase — seemed to be an outrageous act of hubris, the method France chose seemed to be an outrageous act of dimwittedness. France saw the Chase as a way to inspire an electric points race, to ensure slam-bam racing right to the end of the season. The critics — fans, drivers, owners, crew chiefs, crew members, crew members' families, crew members' friends, friends of crew members' families — saw none of that. Split the season in two? Recast the points? Basically forget about 33 drivers? What a fool!  (Note: Paul Tagliabue was 1st, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig was 3d) NASCAR Noteables (Bill France Jr. 23rd) (Sporting News)

Teenage Charged Selling Fake NASCAR Tickets: A 16-year-old St. Louis boy arrested in September on multiple counts of forgery was charged Tuesday with selling fake NASCAR race tickets on the Internet. Police said the boy admitted that he didn't have the tickets when he advertised them on eBay, an Internet auction site. He also said that he used someone else's Missouri identification card and Social Security number to open a bank account into which he deposited $800 sent by a Wisconsin man who wanted to buy the tickets. Police say he also admitted to using the same account to deposit money from other fake sales. The boy is charged with identity theft and stealing more than $500 and is being held on $10,000 bond. (Kansas City Star)

NASCAR Hall Fame down to four cities: NASCAR wants to build a hall of fame in one of four cities. NASCAR licensing vice president Mark Dyer says Charlotte, Atlanta, Kansas City and Daytona Beach, Florida, will get letters from NASCAR this week asking them to pursue the chance to host it. They will have five months to respond. NASCAR, the private corporation that owns and operates the most popular U.S. auto-racing league, could select a site by the end of the year. Dyer says NASCAR's proposal will not include requirements about size and funding sources. But NASCAR wants something as large and as attractive as the baseball, basketball and football halls of fame, all in smaller Northern cities. (Mercury News)

Washington Dinner to Bring NASCAR: A last-gasp fund-raiser to bring NASCAR to Snohomish County went on even without the cause last week. But the Dec. 27 event organized by business people who had supported plans for a local NASCAR track raised only about $1,200, most of which will be donated to a NASCAR-related charity. Now that the proposal to build a track between Marysville and Arlington has been withdrawn, there isn't much to raise money for. (Seattle Times)

NASCAR on Animal Channel: To help NASCAR launch its 2005 season, Animal Planet will broadcast a one-hour programming special on NASCAR drivers and their family pets the week of the Daytona 500. NASCAR: ANIMAL CREW answers the question -- "What's with all the pets?" -- by bringing fans behind-the-scenes with NASCAR's tough competitors to reveal their soft sides.  NASCAR: ANIMAL CREW debuts on Thursday, Feb. 17 at 8 p.m. ET only on Animal Planet. Produced by Tomwil Entertainment for Animal Planet, NASCAR: ANIMAL CREW features footage shot at NASCAR events in Rockingham, North Carolina, Atlanta and Charlotte, as well as on location with drivers at home.  The family pets featured are big and little, ordinary and unusual, two- and four-legged, but all similar in that they provide comfort in a career of tough competition and normalcy to a life led on the road.(PRWire)

January 3, 2005 - Office Depot and NASCAR Reups: Office Depot is taking care of business again.  The office supply retailer has reached back to refresh its long-time "Taking Care of Business" marketing tagline. At the same time, the company has announced it has dropped its Olympic sponsorship to launch a partnership with NASCAR. Executives hope the new deal will build a stronger affinity with business owners and female shoppers.  The "Taking Care of Business" theme will be used throughout the company and its marketing, from a new ad campaign that debuts today, to its Internet site, in-store signs and the training of its almost 40,000 employees worldwide. Executives hope the marketing program will refocus Office Depot on the business customer, representing more than 80 percent of the company's sales globally. The return to "Taking Care of Business" after a four-year hiatus acknowledges that the company's taglines haven't resonated effectively with customers over that time, said Chuck Rubin, executive vice president of marketing of the Delray Beach-based retailer. (Sun-Sentinel)

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