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A Few Observations On The UPS Sponsorship
Jun 16th, 2011 by T.C.

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The recently announced Farmers-to-Hendrick deal for Kasey Kahne has spawned some discussion and speculation about the future of UPS’ NASCAR sponsorship.  Apparently some felt that UPS was a candidate to adorn the hood of Kahne’s future ride at HMS, but the Farmers deal seems to signal that that now won’t happen.  UPS’ current deal with Roush Fenway and David Ragan is up at the end of this season, and you can be sure they will be exploring all options.

The first time – and so far only time – we saw Kahne and UPS mentioned in the same sentence publicly was in a recent post from Scene Daily’s Bob Pockrass.  Pockrass speculated about where UPS could end up, and mentioned Carl Edwards and Clint Bowyer as possible candidates if they decide to leave Ragan’s #6 car.  But as we saw back in 2008, drivers of that caliber may be out of reach for UPS.

It is believed that the current UPS deal with RFR pays somewhere around $17-$18 million per season, and the reason the shipper ended up with Ragan back in ’08 was because that wasn’t enough to lock down a big name like Edwards for a full season.  Barring a major shift in strategy and budget from UPS, numbers in that neighborhood don’t appear to be enough this time around either.  Sports Business Journal’s Tripp Mickle says Farmers is paying HMS $17.6 million a season for partial sponsorship of Kahne’s car, and that might be a big sign that UPS could again be priced out of the game for upper tier drivers.

Pockrass does mention that a partial deal with UPS and Edwards might be a way for Roush to keep Big Brown.  For that to happen though, UPS would have to agree to share a driver with another sponsor(s), which is something we haven’t seen them do in the past.  I’m not saying it can’t or won’t happen, but it would certainly be a departure from their past deals.

With Ragan much improved this season, UPS may just end up re-signing.  But there is still so much up in the air for RFR, it may be some time before we know anything definitive.  If 2008 was any indication though, expect UPS to be linked with everyone and their dog for the duration of the summer.



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Chase Drivers Shouldn’t Get Special Treatment
Oct 9th, 2009 by T.C.

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Following NASCAR’s warning of Brad Keselowski last weekend at Kansas to take it easy around the Chase drivers, some fans have expressed their displeasure to us this week with NASCAR’s call.  I even heard some angry calls into radio shows regarding the subject.  A few in the media have also reacted to the situation, including SceneDaily.com’s Bob Pockrass.  I personally think it’s ridiculous for NASCAR to expect non-Chase drivers to tip-toe around the Chasers.

I understand that NASCAR wants a fair fight among those twelve drivers battling for the Championship, and they should be allowed every opportunity (within the rules) to do well.  But what being in the Chase shouldn’t get you, is more favor from the other drivers and from NASCAR.

When the teams hit the track each weekend, 43 drivers are vying for not only that Cup, but also the race.  Once inside the Chase, just because only 12 drivers can win the Cup doesn’t change the fact that 43 could still win the race.  Those other 31 drivers have just as much right to fight for every inch and race hard as those guys in the Chase.  By expecting drivers to take it easy around the Chasers, NASCAR is hurting the integrity of the competition and showing disrespect to the fans of those non-Chase drivers.

For those teams outside the Chase, running well in those final ten races and possibly picking up a win could go a long way towards success in the future.  For somebody like a Jamie McMurray it could mean a solid ride for 2010 and possible sponsorship.  Or for somebody struggling like Dale Earnhardt Jr., it could be the start of returning to Championship form.

As I mentioned on Twitter earlier in the week, you don’t see the NFL asking the non-playoff teams to take it easy on the playoff teams in week 17 of the regular season.  The thought being that those non-playoff teams could adversely affect the the chances for those in the playoffs.  Those teams would laugh in the NFL’s face, and the fans would be outraged.

So please NASCAR, does us a favor and just let them race.

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