A NASCAR sponsor pays a huge sum to their specific driver, making them a living billboard for their advertisement. Every little movement, every action is closely monitored and sometimes controlled by the sponsors themselves. This leaves the drivers with very little room to breathe, prohibiting them from meeting the simplest of fans’ demands, and leaving them dissatisfied and bitter towards the very drivers they love. But one veteran has a simple request to fix this.
Rick Mast asks sponsors to let drivers have their own personality
Rick Mast, who does not like sponsors deciding everything for the driver, said in the latest episode of the Mast Cast podcast:
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“Send your driver out, let him do some autographs. Don’t keep him shackled behind closed doors; let him be himself. Let these drivers be themselves more. I don’t like for the sponsors to come down on the drivers. The drivers, they’re all heroes. Nothing wrong with these guys.
“We don’t know that because they’re so downtrodden, but they’re shackled in what they can say and do and how they present themselves. And I would love for sponsors to say, ‘Alright, man. Just be yourself. You’re not gonna embarrass us. Right?’ Don’t neuter them.”
He spoke up about a major issue. In today’s world, motorsports is all about the brand identity. A small step can lead to a major change and crash the entire market for a specific sponsor. Almost everyone remembers when Cristiano Ronaldo famously put aside the bottle of a Coca-Cola for plain water. It hurt Coca-Cola’s brand value a lot. That day has long passed, but the fear still lingers inside.
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So the sponsors try to limit their drivers as much as possible. They only get to wear certain brands of clothes, only drive certain cars, and hardly go out unless they seek approval from the sponsor for the specific venue. These actions may look harmless on paper and even justified, considering the huge sum paid by the sponsors. But in the end, a driver becomes nothing more than a puppet when they follow these orders.
Ricky Mast also pointed out the stark differences between the NASCAR stars of today and those of earlier times, as the sport is already suffering with a noticeable star power gap unlike before.
“I understand the brand side of it. But you have to have faith. But, they’re putting a lot of money. If they’re investing in the sport, then we are talking 6-7 figures. Sometimes, it’s a lot of money. But letting these guys be who they are and have some personality is what’s going to be good for their brand. That’s going to work.
“That’s how you got heroes back in the day. You got Dale Sr., a working-class hero, and kinda younger, flashy, Jeff Gordon on the opposite side of him, and then you got guys like Harry Gant, Rick Mast, and Jimmy Spencer. Let people be who they are.”
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In motorsports, every driver has their own racing style. No two championships or victories, or even laps, can be alike in motorsports. So it’s all about promoting the style and not tampering it down.
That is what the sponsors need to understand, and help the drivers stand out more as the heroes of today’s racing culture.
Speaking about sponsors, how does the new lawsuit settlement affect the teams and their valuation in their market?
NASCAR lawsuit settlement helps teams increase their value
The anti-trust lawsuit between Front Row Motorsports, 23XI Racing, and NASCAR was settled for nearly $365 million with teams getting permanent charters. As such, the team valuations are expected to go up by $50 million or even $90-100 million owing to the lawsuit settlement.
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Former owner of Richard Petty Motorsports, Andrew Murstein, suggests that this situation is the best solution that they could’ve asked for during this lawsuit.
“A rising tide lifts all boats. This settlement is a clear example of that philosophy. By establishing a permanent charter system, much like the old taxi medallion system, NASCAR is ensuring long-term value for everyone involved. It’s truly a win-win scenario.”
“And when franchise values rise, which they naturally will because of this permanence, it benefits not just the teams but NASCAR itself.”
If the team valuations rise by such a huge margin, they will definitely attract more sponsors. More sponsors mean more attraction towards NASCAR itself. By gaining more attention, NASCAR will be able to bring in more viewers and make up for its losses. Every sponsor brings a new identity with it. The sport itself is all about the special liveries and dedicated sponsorship deals, which have defined drivers and teams for many years.
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The rising valuation of teams with permanent charters will give the sponsors an incentive to invest in these franchises. The investment will help the teams grow further and win more races, increasing their performance. This way, the sport will form a continuous feedback loop of growth. The anti-trust lawsuit threatened to break NASCAR from the inside out. But in the end, it provided the sport a valuable tool for moving forward.
