Today the naming rights and sponsorship for any enterprise related to sports is a billion-dollar industry. And, often to the consternation of the pure racing fan, racing ranks near the top of this financial windfall, earning multi-millions for corporate names on everything from grandstands, to scoring towers, to speedways.
It’s no secret that NASCAR has set the gold standard for this, attracting huge sums of money and dozens of companies bidding to tie their names to the marketability of the NASCAR product.
When Winston left the Cup series after the 2003 season, the bidding war began. Nextel, morphing into Sprint in 2008, eventually came out on top. And NASCAR obtained what is considered the crème-de-la-crème of sponsorship, the one most necessary to propel an organization to the next level, both financially and with increased marketability — the title sponsor. 
But as important as a title sponsor is to even an already financially top-loaded organization like NASCAR, it’s the lower profile, grass-roots racing series that have become particularly dependent on that level of sponsorship.    

NAME THAT SERIES: Bud Kaeding maneuvers his BK 29 USAC sprint car around Perris (Calif.) Auto Speedway in November. (Doug Allen Photo)

“The title sponsor is the lifeblood of what we do in racing today,” insists USAC’s new President, Kevin Miller, who has Mopar as the title sponsor of the USAC National Midget Series and K&N Filters for the Silver Crown Series. “Having the support of a title sponsor is essential for the future of our racing.”
Ben Geisler, the chief marketing officer for the World Racing Group, which runs the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, World of Outlaws Late Model Series and DIRT Modified Series, echoes Miller’s sentiments. “A title sponsor is a critical element. Short of having funds from other sources, having a title sponsor dictates everything you can do, from your year-end point fund to your sanction fees.”
What’s happened in racing that a title sponsor has become so critical to the success of an organization, especially credible, historic, high-profile organizations like USAC and the WoO sprint cars?
Simple.
The growth of the grassroots short-track racing fan base has not kept pace with the escalating costs of putting on a USAC or WoO show. Promotional fees, prize money, administrative overhead and marketing expenses have, in some cases, doubled during the last few years, while the fan base has remained stagnant, or even decreased.
“We just cannot continue to try and make up that difference by increasing the sanctioning fees to the track owner,” states USAC’s Miller. “If we do, we won’t have tracks to race at. Title sponsors are absolutely essential in order for us to continue the sport and to grow it.” 
It’s obvious how having a title sponsor can create a healthy influx of cash, but there are other important advantages to having a title sponsor. One is, perhaps, of intangible value, but very viable for the car owner. It can aid them as they seek sponsors.
“If you’re a race team,” explains Geisler, “and you’re out trying to generate sponsorship of your own, it’s a tremendous advantage when you’re a part of a series that is valuable enough for others to have invested in it. That just adds to the credibility of your presentation and validates the reasons why other sponsors should get involved.”
Having a title sponsor can also be instrumental in increasing the visibility of a series.
“It’s amazing,” comments Geisler, who has Advance Auto Parts as the title sponsor of the WoO sprint cars for 2008, “just how much promotional value an engaged series sponsor can provide. Having the right company involved that does things like track hospitality, online sweepstakes, behind the scenes looks at the sport, posters, fliers at their stores, can really enhance the fan experience and raise the awareness of the series tremendously. In reality, a good title sponsor is a partner in growing the organization. And that’s good for everybody.”  
There’s no better example of the value of that type of partnership than in what Winston did for the NASCAR Cup series, or what Busch did for the Grand National series. No disrespect to the current sponsors of those series, but the Winston and Busch names became so synonymous with those forms of racing that they’re still often used to identify them today.
There are also examples of partnerships gone bad. Pep Boys, in the early days of the IRL, is one. The relationship began with the heated passion of newlyweds. Yet, for whatever reason, the honeymoon was short-lived, and the relationship disintegrated. The IRL has, basically, been without a viable title sponsor since, and coincidently, the series has not grown to expectations.
“As important as a title sponsor is,” comments Geisler, “they’re very difficult to secure. Part of the difficulty is the which comes first the chicken or the egg syndrome. Without great TV and other media attention, it’s nearly impossible for any series to attract a major title sponsor, but without the sponsor, it’s difficult to get that good TV package.”
It’s not a coincidence, for instance, that Advance Auto Parts, which has been connected with the WoO for 10 years and has been a long-standing sponsor of the DIRT modifieds, finally came on board as a title sponsor when the WoO put together an improved television package on Speed.
Nor is it a coincidence that with sub-par TV ratings and minimal media attention, the IRL has not been able to generate a title-sponsor partnership. 
That’s because most companies demand an immediate return on their investment. It’s difficult — if not impossible — today to find a company — like Winston or Busch were — that is willing to get involved and help grow a series from the ground up.
The quest for title sponsors from the top to the bottom of auto racing will continue to grow as a priority as long as the cost of racing continues to escalate. The race fan may not be enamored by the idea that a series they’re particularly passionate about is “selling out” to the corporate world. But, in today’s racing environment, that’s the reality and a necessity.