Sponsors Needed for Greg Gunderson

Last week I blogged an exclusive announcement about Greg Gunderson who is to become the first deaf NASCAR driver with Kansas Speedway's full support and committment to Greg's dream of becoming a NASCAR driver. But first Greg must get one year of experience on driving on asphalt either in the ARCA or ASA racing series before moving up to the NASCAR big time racing venue. But before Greg can race, he'll need money to be able to support his racing team and racing car. How much money? Between $1.5 to $2.0 million dollars as a start. But to get into the NASCAR racing the amount of money could easily sky-rocket as high as $20 million as reported in USAToday on racing sponsorships.


Jascon Curry, president of sComm and official UbiDuo sponsor for
Greg Gunderson, pose on the Kansas Speedway track last year.


If you take look at a race car driver's firesuit and the racing car itself, you'll see lots of different company logos. All those companies are sponsors who have paid lots of money to support the driver and his/her racing team.

Now, why sponsor? Consider some of the facts about NASCAR fans and the racing sport.


• 75 million fans (one in three American adults) follow NASCAR.

• Number-two sport on television in the U.S.

• 17 of the 20 highest attended sporting events in the US in 2002 were NASCAR events.

• $2.1 billion in licensed product sales in 2003, among more than 200 licensees.

• More Fortune 500 companies participate in NASCAR than any other sport.

• NASCAR racing is televised weekly in more than 150 countries.

• Season spans 10 months of competitive, side-by-side racing at events all over the U.S.

• Weekly “Big Event” often drawing larger crowds than a Super Bowl, NBA Finals game, and World Series game combined.

• 75 million fans: 60% male and 40% female

• 40 million “hard core” fans

• Broad age spread: 32% between the ages of 18-34; 58% between the ages of 18-44

• Fan base is more affluent than the U.S. population: 42% earn $50,000+ per year

• Even geographic mix: Northeast 20%, Midwest 24%, South 38%, West 19%

NASCAR fans understand the need for sponsorship. Among hardcore fans!:

• 92% say drivers could not run their cars without sponsors’ support

• 93% say NASCAR is the kind of sport that needs corporate sponsorship.

• 85% know which companies sponsor NASCAR and its drivers.

Fans seek out and purchase sponsors products to support their favorite sport, team and drivers:

• NASCAR fans are three times more likely to purchase sponsor’s products.

• 72% of fans are more likely to buy a NASCAR sponsored product than a similar product not NASCAR related.

• Hard core fans spend more than $700 on licensed products annually, and consume 8 hours of NASCAR programming weekly.

Race Attendance:

• NASCAR reaches every corner of the country with 1,800 racing events in 36 states at more than 110 tracks.

• More than 13 million NASCAR fans attended the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, NASCAR Busch Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series during the 2003 season. (Source: NASCAR, tracks, Industry statistics)


In short, a heavily favored sports event with lots and lots of television and fan exposures that are ideal to help advertise a company's product.

So far, we have one very good and promising lead of a very large and internationally known company who may do a sponsorship deal but Greg Gunderson will need many more sponsors to make this work. Anywhere from 10 to 15 sponsors depending on how much a company is willing to spend and support a racing team. This is an unique opportunity for sponsorship because of the potential promotional opportunities and national exposure associated with a first ever deaf NASCAR driver. Imagine the additional media coverage on Greg Gunderson which translates into additional coverage for companies sponsoring Greg Gunderson. But remember, Greg must do at least a year of racing on aspalt pavement in the ARCA or ASA racing series before moving up into the NASCAR racing event.

So, pass the word out. Blog about it. Email this blog article to your friends. And if you're reading this and you run or own a company, this sponsorship deal might be the ticket for your company.

Contact Greg Gunderson if you're interested on becoming a sponsor for Greg Gunderson and his ARCA/ASA racing team as a start.