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

Let's hear your predictions on new sponsors for High Limit. Seems like the loss came unexpected.

Did they lose Kabota? If so, here's my suggestion:  Moonlight Bunny Ranch.  Aligns with the High Roller theme and opens up alot of new marketing opportunities....

Draft Kings, FanDuel, BetMGM ? 

One would think as strong as winged-410 racing seems to be at the national scene, this would be a great time for someone like a  Budweiser or Penzoil to come back on board with one of the series.  However, I cannot imagine it would be with the High Limit.  Tuning into Flo on a Tuesday night, and seeing 500 people in the stands is not what someone like Budweiser is looking for.  I had no reason to go to a High Limit race in my area due to the large draw of both series cars at Knoxville WoO events.  Maybe someone can confirm for me---did Kubota setup a display for marketing, etc. at each of the shows?  Tractors?  Equipment?  If so, it wouldn't be too hard to figure out why they lost interest.  Or did they just rely on their name on the series?  It's nice to give a big check to a series to headline your name.  It's another to drag your brand all over the country and have almost no one walk by the display at many of the shows.  Having the Kubota name does nothing if they can't showcase their product to live people.  Yes, I know many HL shows had good crowds, but there were far too many shows I watched where it looked like no one showed up. 

I do think they tried too hard to push sprints cars in non sprint car country especially the first first year. Many of those tracks did not return last year. I have however been to several HL races where there were eight to twelve thousand fans plus streaming within 3 or  4 miles of a Kubota dealership. 

Dollar Loan Center and Badlands Entertainment Group sound like a good fit!

I think Kubota leaving High Limit has more to do with an executive leadership change in North America that happened towards the end of October. From what I saw, they are pulling out of motorsports all together, at least all of the things that have sponsorship contracts ending. Podcasts, tracks, everything included. 

It does not look good seeing stands partly full with some exceptions like some of the bigger stands that may make 8000people look small. The couple races that I went to, of course I live in a sprintcar hotbed, they did have displays, people working them, some promotional lists, dealer info, etc. I did not do too big of a deep dive yet into the schedules of everyone outside of my area, but wonder if HL is being a little more choosy with where they go and when. The first year I understood them going to some areas with fans and population in general being limited. Getting booked at that point and proving to some promoters that they were serious about being around was needed and I think these next couple of years they have been able to get into some better locations.  

As for a new sponsor, who knows. Depends on the price to get the naming rights. For the right price, you could see Hendrickcars.com as a sponsor. WoO went years without a series sponsor and has been fortunate with NOS all these years

Hendricks or NAPA would be potentials????  (Is NAPA staying on with Kahne?)

Not sure about NAPA. Have not really heard anything about NAPA or KKR and if they are staying on to sponsor the 9. I am just thinking of Sponsors that have close relationships with the people in charge of HL, and who seem to budget motorsports as part of their marketing. Not sure what the price tag would be for being a series sponsor but, HL does have more of a network than what they use to. Plus their is the FLO aspect if they dive into their portfolio with some of their other sports.

Arm & Hammer. Their product aligns with an owner and they can use the catchphrase clump and seal slide job. 

They had plenty of tractors & equipment on display when I saw them at Port Royal

Don't know about any other events

The streaming of the HL must be lucrative as the crowd for mid week races couldnt begin to pay purse for promoter. I love to watch them but Flo must have some deep pockets. As for HL and WOO I think HL has helped sprint car racing by splitting the field  and gives some teams better chance at a top 10 finish . David Rico and Buddy will win over 60% add Kyle and Corey and hard to beat the best. Sprint car racing is in the best place for being able to survive on the road. Lot more complicated than the run what you brung days of the true Outlaws.Hope it never gets like NASCAR. We need more drivers that have a big personality like Rico that help promote the sport. The days of Sammy Steve and Doug and crew chiefs like Karl added something We have lost.

I don't knowe if HL had anything to do with the exibits at the Tuscarora Fifty weekend. They may have but the Kubota dealer is only about three miles from the track and always has an large exibit at the fair. I don't remember if they had anything at the Wiekert Memorial. Kubota being out may open up the John Deere dealer that is even closer for track sponcership again. They supplied tractors for track work before. They may have been out last year because of the HL/ Kubota deal.