NASCAR announced on Tuesday that Sprint would not extend its sponsorship in the Cup Series when its contract expires after the 2016 Season. With a quick glance of sponsors throughout the sport, Nationwide would make the best choice to fill that void, already having a lot of involvement and interest.
The news that Nationwide was leaving NASCAR’s second tier-series next year was a surprise considering its involvement with the sport as a whole, but the agreement with Hendrick Motorsports sponsoring Dale Earnhardt Jr. afterwards seemed like an obvious consolation. The information of Sprint’s possible departure may have been the deciding factor on Nationwide’s decision to not renew the second-tier contract.
Nationwide seems very comfortable in its relationship with NASCAR. Watch any race and it will run a commercial every other break. The company is aggressive with its advertising, with even Peyton Manning singing the Nationwide theme while making calls at the line. Staying with phone providers, AT&T or Verizon could fill the role without a hiccup, and so could an online giant like Google or Amazon.
With Xfinity taking the second-tier sponsorship, Comcast could take the Cup series for double duty.
In a unique situation being a North American professional sports league with contractual sponsorship used in the name, how a deal evolves and all comes together can be interesting to lifelong fans and outsiders alike.
Kevin Jacobs is a NASCAR writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @KevinJ816 “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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