Sponsors come and go, with a few exceptions

When you think longevity in NASCAR, you probably start with Junie Donlavey and Bud Moore and guys like that.

When it comes to sponsors, you'd have to start with Coors and Texaco.

Chip Ganassi has both sponsors in his three-car Nextel Cup stable, and it is hard to fathom that the two have been primary sponsors in NASCAR's premier league for a combined total of 42 years.

Target Stores, which has been with Ganassi a whopping 18 years (mostly in Indy cars), is another one of those long-lived sponsors that just seem to have always been there, even though it has only been four seasons in Cup.

Ganassi, himself an open-wheel driver back in the day, not only has been able to forge long-lasting relationships in a sport where partners change so fast it makes Hollywood types jealous, he's been able to keep them.

"It's certainly a source of pride we have within our team," he said at the Lowe's Motor Speedway Media Tour. "We've been partners with Target for 18 years. During our operation in NASCAR two of our sponsors are among the top five that have been in NASCAR the longest.

"This marks Coors' 22nd year in the sport and Texaco is celebrating its 20th anniversary in the sport. In an industry that prides itself on partnerships, I'm proud of what this team has been able to accomplish along that vein."

Other sponsors have stayed with other teams as long, but rare is the team owner who can convince two of the longest-tenured backers in motorsports to stay with the program. STP is still involved with Petty Enterprises as an associate, and that relationship dates back to 1971 -- 36 years ago, or roughly twice as long as Ganassi driver Reed Sorenson has been alive.

It's not like Ganassi has been sitting on his laurels, either. With the addition of Juan Montoya to his driver lineup, sponsors are lining up to ride the wave.

"We're bringing Wrigley and Memorex into the sport, and that will be great for NASCAR," Ganassi said.

Eventually, however, all partnerships end, and the volatile world of sponsoring a NASCAR team is a bumpy road at the best of times.

Consider Richard Childress Racing, which for the first time since the late 1980s will head to Daytona without silver and black on an RCR Chevrolet. GM Goodwrench, part of the GM Service Parts Organization, called it quits as a primary sponsor late last year after several championships and outstanding success.

The absence of GM Goodwrench leaves only one "factory" team out there these days: Ray Evernham's tandem of Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler.

The word "factory" in this case means a car or team sponsored by a manufacturer. Through GMSPO, RCR technically had "factory" support, because GMSPO is a division of General Motors.

Evernham's team is not really factory in the sense that DaimlerChrysler has a division putting marketing dollars on the barrelhead. Sponsorship for the Evernham duo comes from the Dodge Dealers association, which is an entirely different animal.

It's a fine line, but a line nonetheless.

When you think about longevity among sponsors, nothing tops STP's relationship with The King, but there are some that are close.

Valvoline has been in the sport for a very long time, as has Budweiser, but they've skipped around somewhat with different teams.

Felix Sabates, Ganassi's partner in the NASCAR team, has himself been a car owner for 20 years. Relationships don't always go from sponsor to team; sometimes they are person to person.

"This is Felix's 20th year in NASCAR, and I think that's a great milestone and one I hope to get to some day," Ganassi said. "I can tell you that's the partnership I'm most proud of in this building, my partnership with Felix Sabates. I wouldn't be here without him. It's that simple.

"There are a lot of people I could have bumped into at NASCAR, and I feel pretty fortunate I bumped into this guy."

He's also pretty fortunate to have brought in additional sponsors when he did, considering what NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow will likely cost him and Sabates.

"It's going to cost us a hell of a lot," Ganassi said. "It's a million-and-a-half per year per team for about three years for us. What I look for is a level playing field. You give me the same rule book as the guy next door and the guy up the street and I'll race him. That's all I'm worried about. I don't care what the rules are as long as they're the same for everybody."

In 2007, Ganassi and Sabates are looking for marked improvement from the past couple of seasons. With Montoya on board and two young guns with another year of seasoning under their belts, the prospects look promising.

Longevity is its own reward, but longevity and money makes a whole different story.