Sponsors seeking more protection for drivers

By Mike Fish, CNNSI.com
February 22, 2001
11:21 AM EST (1621 GMT)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- As stock-car racing lays to rest its Elvis, an issue for the day is whether something good can't come of Dale Earnhardt's death.

The questions cry out with his passing. Can't NASCAR make the hard-charging sport safer? Why not mandate drivers wear a head and neck restraint system, the HANS device? Couldn't they speed up development of "soft walls'' as an alternative to non-giving concrete that Earnhardt's car smashed into?

Officials say they won't do anything reactionary. Hardened fans say it's just do-gooders shouting for more safety rules. Heck, it's just racing and guys have always gotten hurt -- even killed.

But changes are coming, even if corporate America has to twist NASCAR's arm.

See, sponsors can't afford not to have their driver/pitchmen walk away from a race. And it's bad business when a sport loses four gladiators in the space of 10 months -- especially cherished icon Earnhardt right out of the box in Daytona.

Four deaths in a year is not what sponsors want to talk about," said Jim Andrews, executive vice president of the Chicago-based IEG Sponsorship Report. "I think they'll apply pressure from behind the scenes, maybe talk about a required HANS device or other changes.

"If anyone has the ability to do it it's the sponsors and the TV networks footing the bill for this stuff. That is the big change for the France family [which controls NASCAR and owns 11 major tracks]. They have to be responsible to a much broader group of people."

In the old days, NASCAR pretty much answered to no one. And it survived on its southern roots.

There's huge money invested now as the sport branches into mainstream America, opening speedways this summer in Kansas City, Mo., and Chicago. The new TV deal, alone, is worth an estimated $2.8 billion. And global companies like UPS are paying $15 million a season to tie in with a driver and his team, plus millions more in glitzy marketing campaigns.

"Regardless of what company or industry, when you sign on as primary sponsor, that driver becomes the most visible spokesperson for your brand," said Tom Cotter, founder of the sports marketing SFX/Cotter Group. "They invest tens of millions [of dollars] for that driver and for branding that person. To put all that money into these people and have it wiped out in a split second is not prudent business.

"These drivers are very visible, valuable spokespersons."

So how does a sponsor protect its investment?

On the record, UPS officials say it's not their position to dictate rules changes to NASCAR. But when shopping for a driver/team prior to debuting in the sport this season, they did so prudently and with an eye on the long-term.

Their guy, Dale Jarrett, isn't only a former champion -- but one of only six drivers to wear the HANS device in the season-opening Daytona 500.

"We're happy that Dale has chosen to do that," said Susan Rosenberg, spokesperson for the Atlanta-based company. "One of the things that made Dale Jarrett very attractive to us when we started talking is he's very safety conscious. We're relatively new to the sport, but obviously safety is a concern."

Rightly or wrongly, the perception in the sport is safety hasn't topped NASCAR's agenda. In its defense, the sanctioning body says it's constantly researching ways to make the sport safer -- if it's possible when cars are running around 200 mph. There's just been nothing to report of late. And the recent deaths, well, it's a spate of bad luck.

But that answer might not fly in this new era.

"You're going to see increased pressure from all fronts -- media, sponsors, drivers and fans," said Geoff Smith, president of Roush Racing. "Everyone wants to observe the drivers' skill under pressure. But the penalty for a mistake shouldn't be death."