THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 11, 1996 TAG: 9607110556
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 121 lines
A race car won't run fast without a strong engine. It won't roll without tires.
But ask a driver to name the most important thing on his car and the smart one would not say engine or tires. Instead, he would point to the names on the door, fender and hood.
Those are his sponsors, and from Daytona to area tracks, most drivers can't afford to leave the pits without them.
``You have to have good sponsors if you are going to race and be competitive,'' said Norfolk driver Phil Warren, a four-time champion at Langley Speedway in Hampton.
Elton Sawyer, another former Langley champion, experienced that lesson when his Winston Cup ride folded earlier this year because of a lack of sponsorship.
Winston Cup sponsorships range between $2 million and $10 million a year.
It isn't nearly as expensive to get on the fender of a car at one of the local tracks, such as Langley.
Area businesses, and one from as far away as Oklahoma, pay anywhere from a few bucks to thousands of dollars to sponsor cars at these tracks. Drivers and sponsors, however, are reluctant to give specific figures.
``These are rolling billboards,'' Mack McKee said as he pointed to a row of race cars at Langley Speedway on a recent Saturday. ``Billboard space is expensive, but a business can get on one of these cars for a lot less money and get very good exposure.''
McKee, a retired city of Norfolk employee, has been helping teams, some on NASCAR's Busch Grand National circuit, obtain sponsors for several years.
He currently is working with John Staton's Late Model Stock team, for which he negotiated a sponsorship deal with Synergyn Gold Oil Treatment and Metal Conditioner. The product, made in Oklahoma, is not on any Hampton Roads market shelf yet, but McKee said stock-car fans would recognize the name once it arrives in the area.
``John will be heavily involved by putting his car on display once it is here,'' McKee said.
Most major sponsors require drivers to make personal appearances and provide a ``show car,'' which resembles the actual race car.
``A race car can attract a lot of attention,'' said Ken Martinez, the owner of a Subway Sandwich shop at Ocean View.
Martinez became so attracted to Rhett Bussler's Grand Stock car that he spearheaded an effort to provide sponsorship from all Hampton Roads Subway stores for Bussler.
``Rhett would stop by my store for sandwiches on the way to Langley,'' Martinez said. ``I thought he had a nice car and that racing would be a great way to advertise.''
Martinez became more convinced after watching Bussler race.
``He had guts, brains and speed,'' Martinez said. ``I thought, `This is my man.' ''
Martinez advanced the advertising idea to Lewis Finch, Subway's area marketing representative, who was receptive.
``It really has worked out great, too,'' Martinez said.
Bussler has made appearances at various Subway stores, schools and other public functions. He said during an appearance at a school in Ocean View, ``People were coming off the streets to see the car.''
``I probably signed over 500 autographs,'' Bussler said. ``We put kids in the car, cranked it up, and they had a great time.''
The Norfolk driver recently added a second sponsor, United Pest Control, and he said it came at the right time, just after he had been in a big wreck at Langley that did more than $4,000 in damage to his car.
``I would have been hurtin' big time if I hadn't got more help,'' Bussler said.
Most drivers rely on more than one sponsor, too, and they come in all shapes and forms.
Charlie Falk's Auto is the Warren's major sponsor. Warren also gets help from Wards Corner Amoco, which supplies gasoline for the tow truck; Norfolk Paint; and RC Cola, which gets its name on the car in small print in exchange for free soft drinks.
``The drinks are not a big deal,'' Warren said, ``but if you had to go buy them, it would make a difference.''
Warren, a mechanic, learned the importance of sponsors early in his racing career.
``I worked on cars at my house at night to buy tires for race cars until I got enough sponsorship help to pay for them,'' he said.
Many drivers who own businesses are their own sponsors, and others depend of friends or relatives.
``Look up and down pit road and you see the bulk of sponsorships is either daddy or friends or acquaintances,'' said Late Model driver Shawn Balluzzo. ``The rest of it comes from going out knocking on doors and talking to people.''
Balluzzo's business, Signdesigns of America, is his primary sponsor. He also receives major support from Ross Auto Parts, which provides a place to maintain his race cars, and some help from Precon Marine of Chesapeake.
Precon Marine owner Matt Miller said getting exposure for his underwater construction company wasn't the main reason he sponsors Balluzzo.
``A lot of employees like to go to the races, and it is more fun for us to be involved with a car,'' he said. ``It helps to bring everyone together.''
Balluzzo estimated the biggest sponsorships at Langley are worth as much as $30,000 - ``not including daddy's money.''
Even so, he said, it is difficult for a team to break even without finishing in the top five every week.
``Warren won 19 races last year, so I am sure he made money,'' Balluzzo said. ``But I doubt if anyone else did.''
Most drivers said sponsors normally put little pressure on them to win.
``I don't ever get any pressure from them. They seem to be happy with what I'm doing,'' Warren said.
Balluzzo said the only pressure he feels is self-applied.
``The Precon Marine people are just happy to come out and see the car run,'' he said. ``Ross Auto Parts is involved on a daily basis, but they don't put any more pressure on me. But they have been so nice that I do feel bad for them when I have a bad race.''
Win or lose, though, Balluzzo believes his sponsors benefit from having their name on his race car.
``No one is more loyal to sponsors than race fans,'' Balluzzo said. ``If fans have a choice of places, they are going to do business with the one who is involved in racing.''
Ken Martinez agreed. He hears lots of race talk at his Subway store - especially since he mounted the hood from Bussler's $4,000 wreck on his wall. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
MICHAEL HEFFNER/The Virginian-Pilot
The hood of Rhett Bussler's Grand Stock car bears the logos of
Subway and WGNT-TV. In return for sponsorship dollars, Bussler uses
the car to promote his sponsors on and off the track. by CNB