Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

Does anyone know how much some of the sponsors pay the outlaw teams? or how the teams price placement on the car?

That is a loaded question and I am sure you will never get an honest answer on a message board. Never know if sponsors are paying cash or perhaps providing equipment or a service for the team. Example a lot of times you see a trucking company as a sponsor and most cases they are providing a truck out of their fleet for the team use.

good question...

Those who know don't say & those who say don't know?

Like so many things, if you have to ask, you cannot afford it.

Only one answer I am sure of....as car owners, Tony Stewart gets a hell of a lot more sponsorship in money, parts and discounts than someone like Terry McCarl does!

Yep you're not likely to get an answer here. Most teams have full on marketing sponsors as well as product sponsors (discount or free parts). Product partners are typically signified by smaller decals near side panels of cockpit or near components.  

As far as "price placement" on car it all depends on $ of partnership. We see full on wraps like a Great Clips or Razor Back. Also, marketing partnerships go way beyond just logo on car and thats what smart sponsors are looking for - engagement on and off track (think Brian Brown or Greg Wilson). Any Sponsor simply wanting their logo on a car is not taking full advantage of the engagement opportunity present.  

And he should. For marketing partners he has far more reach as a NASCAR "star," WoO car owner, track owner and Series owner. Easier to sell sponsors who may not be 100% aware of Sprint Car racing on "Tony Stewart" partnership. 

I was trying to be funny, because of the fact that nobody dicloses the amounts recieved...which is fine. I was also in a round about way pointing out the the huge imbalance that exists in the sport today. It's greater than it's ever been. Not sour grapes by any means, I would simply like to see more parody among the ranks. Establish a rules package on the car, engine or whatever that would create a limit as to how much money goes in to the car itself. More power to the guys that can gather the huge budgets from sponsorship, but let that be a windfall to to the owner....and less of an advantage to the car.

There was a very good article in Open Wheel Magazine back in the mid-90's about how the World of Outlaws and sprint car teams in general are funded by sponsors along with clothing and other sales, and what the cost of running a team are.  I do not have time just now to dig it out, but really nothing has changed much except the inflation of all numbers and the involvement of higher dollar teams like Stewart and Kahne.

I've always been interested in what kind of discounts the big teams get on parts. I'd imagine Stewart's team gets a big discount on J&J's because Schatz's dominance is fantastic advertising for them, but I don't know.

Makes sense--except to say "huge imbalance that exists in THE sport today"--that is accurate but not complete.  It's huge imbalance in ALL sports today.  Nascar teams from top to bottom are not funded on the same plane--although the top 20 teams are probably closer than they have ever been.  (For example the 10th place car in points each year Richard Petty won the championship was likely funded 10 times less-wouldn't one agree?)

Really though, all sports--bat and ball/puck sports included--there is a huge imbalance in money available.  Just the way it is.  In the big 4--Football, baseball, basketball and hockey (not my order but the official order) the market dictates the $$ amounts.  That's why the Cubs usually boast one of the league's largest payrolls (regardless of winning percentage) and the mighty Brewers can only hold a winning team for a year at best.  Some sports (NFL) have made moves to combat this, but for the most part the deep pockets can afford the best of everything. 

So my point is--its not just sprint car racing.  And I don't know actual dollar amounts we speak of, but I would think that the statement "it's greater than it's ever been" may have to be validated.  To me, there is a huge difference between the top 4 or 5 cars in the country and the 15th place car.  I would argue though, that there are 100's of drivers with equal $'s funding their teams once you get below the top 5-15 cars.  ???

Not completely arguing with you though.  Good points. 

The stick and ball sports have always had a huge imbalance. Indy has always been a richer mans race. In most other forms of racing, the imbalance used to derive from the innovations and abilities of teams and drivers. In NASCAR over the years there were the overly funded teams even early on....but today as a basis for my statement, how mant teams are getting engines etc from the Hendrichs empire, the winningest team now for several years? NASCAR's advantage was the manufacturer support that came in. In sprint car racing we currently have the wealthiest team owners and combination of owners the sport has ever seen. In sprint car racing the money used to come from local sponsors and team owners. When NASCAR and sprint car racing in general became nationally recognised and not just locally recognized, everything changed. For the best....up to a point in my opinion. Car counts have shrunk and that is reflective of not only the costs, but not being able to compete with the big dogs.

I see your points.  But I will counter with this.  Nascar has also seen their car counts dwindle.  That being said, are there more teams that have a chance to win now or less that have a chance to win now? 

I think the HUGE imbalance in power was during the 80's and 90's with just a select few that could win in the WOO and a select few that could win in NASCAR.  I actually think that has flipped the opposite of what you are saying. 

You are correct about the numbers of NASCAR teams dwindling over the years.....the reason? Money. There may be more teams winning in NASCAR today, but why? Is it becuase of the rules governing the cars? Nobody laps the field anymore because the cars are too equal. NASCAR made the cars equall to make for "better" racing. I'm not so sure it's better but it is closer. They race to be in the right place at the right time, now. Back to sprint cars and the WoO. You are correct. there are more drivers winning features today. Here's the break down among top 20 finishers in points for the decades you mentioned. Keep in mind there may have been some drivers outside of the top 20 that won a features in each of these decades. In the '80's.....for the decade there was an average of 8.4 drivers (top 20) per year that won a feature....in th '90's the average was 9.8 per year (top 20) and in the years 2006-2015 the average was 10.9 per year (top 20). Schatz rules today very much like Kinser did, with one exception. There are no Swindells or Wolfgangs today putting up the big numbers and taking a lot of wins away from other competitors. I also believe we have more front row winners today than in the past. 

I'm probably in the minority when I say this but here it is. I'd rather see the cars slowed down with less emphasis on the huge horsepower and the huge amounts of dollars it takes build them and to keep them up. Creating the horsepower today is more important than putting the horsepower to the ground. Give teams a more equal playing field when it comes to power and that changes. The emphasis then turns to "what do we have to do to get the most out of this car under these track condiotions". I think that will also lead to more drivers winning races.