Hate to do it, but just some basics; Please acknowledge that all posts made to these forums express the views and opinions of the author and not the administrators, moderators or webmaster (except for posts by these people) and hence will not be held liable.
Please talk smack, we encourage healthy debate! BUT, You also must agree not to post any abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening, sexually-oriented or any other material that may violate any applicable laws. You know the difference...
We hate spam as much as you do, but we also encourage advertisng by drivers, and teams, as well as other racing news and information websites. Feel free to place a link and/or banner in your signature or send your artwork/links to us for placement at adv@makinglaps.com.
Post anonymously or register, but only members will win random prizes periodically. We are pleased to have a great library of animated avatars, members may send a brief request of what they would like their avatar to be by emailing the bratmaster38@aol.com.
Now with all that out of the way.....Let's make some laps!
New Series Sponsor in 2008?: UPDATE 3: The NASCAR Busch Series is expected to have a new title sponsor in 2008, multiple sources close to ongoing negotiations told NASCAR.COM on Saturday at Dover. Potential replacement candidates were not disclosed. NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter confirmed that 2007 is the final year of the existing contract between Anheuser-Busch and NASCAR, while stressing that discussions about the future are ongoing. "All I can tell you is we're working on 2007, and Busch is certainly a part of that," Hunter said. "We're in discussions about the future." The sources, each of whom spoke on condition of anonymity, all agreed that Anheuser-Busch is re-evaluating the Busch brand's status as title sponsor of NASCAR's second-highest series, and where it fits in the company's overall marketing strategy. Tony Ponturo, Anheuser-Busch vice president of global media and sports marketing, said nothing of the sort. "We haven't even begun negotiations," Ponturo said Saturday. "Renewal negotiations begin next spring."(NASCAR.com)(9-23-2006) UPDATE: Hearing the Monster Energy drink, which is distributed [not owned] by Anheuser-Busch, will be the new sponsor of the 'Busch' Series. So the Monster Series or the Monster Energy Drink Series?.(9-28-2006) UPDATE 2: Anheuser-Busch will no longer serve as title sponsor of NASCAR's #2 series after 2007, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal reports. Anheuser-Busch's contract with NASCAR for the NASCAR Busch Series comes to an end after 2007, and NASCAR officials say the cost to sponsor the series will go up. Tony Ponturo, Anheuser-Busch's vice president of global media and sports marketing, told the SBJ that it was his company's decision to withdraw from the sponsorship. SBJ reports that industry sources are estimating the new sponsorship deal could be worth more than $30 million a year, which is three times what Anheuser-Busch is paying.(SceneDaily.com)(12-18-2006) UPDATE 3: According to the SportsBusiness Journal, Subway, Wal-Mart and Samsung "are expected to make strong plays for the title deal."(FoxSports.com)(12-18-2006)
NASCAR looking for $30 million from new 'Busch' Series sponsor: NASCAR is seeking approximately $30 million annually to sponsor its second series, multiple sources close to ongoing negotiations told ESPN.com on Monday. The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that is roughly twice the annual investment Anheuser-Busch forked out to sponsor the series with its Busch brand for the past several years. Sources say there is no clear front-runner at this point, but did admit that previously-speculated suitors Subway, Samsung and Wal-Mart are accurate. Sources also said Dunkin Donuts is a player, and that NASCAR met with Allstate last week. One key issue, though, is potential conflicts with existing sponsors. Sources said NASCAR went through all sponsors that would present conflicts with NASCAR's official partners, the race teams and tracks -- which is where Allstate presents an issue; all six Speedway Motorsports tracks are sponsored by Nationwide -- and created a short list before approaching existing partners to gauge interest. One source said the best-case scenario is to close the deal within the next three months. Asked for worst case, the source said "it doesn't sell." Asked for comment on the matter, NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston didn't deny the accuracy of the speculation and did say there is plenty of interest from corporate America. "I can confirm that there has been great interest from a number of multinational companies that are interested in this sponsorship," Poston said. "The entitlement would provide the eventual sponsor over $100 million annually in brand exposure, and that, along with the partnership with ESPN2, makes this a very desirable position in sports."(ESPN.com)(1-30-2007)