autoevolution
 

Verizon Ends NASCAR Involvement, Moves to IndyCar

One of the most important partners of the NASCAR series, Verizon Wireless, has ended its involvement with the sports this year and plans to move its business to IndyCar, where it is expected to spend in between $12 million to $17 million.

Verizon was a NASCAR partner for two years and it is leaving because the current contract with the series ended with the 2010 season. According to Verizon and NASCAR, the main decision behind a new contract not being signed is rival's Sprint involvement with the top NASCAR series as a main partner.

"Regardless of the category, it's always bad for a property to lose a major brand," said Dan Richlen, vice president and group account director at Wunderman, told NASCAR.

"This is another leading indicator that everyone needs to stay focused and find better return for sponsors because at the end of the day, if there were enough return, Verizon would be here in spades."


Verizon will be sponsoring Penske Racing's No. 12 car in IndyCar and driver Will Power. Its involvement with Penske dates back to 2008, when Verizon acquired Alltel, and with it, the sponsorship program with Alltel had with the team.

In IndyCar, Verizon will be a major player, as it will be category leader on the one side and continue to be a partner for Penske on the other.

"The overall thinking is focus," Suzy Deering, executive director of media and sponsorships at Verizon Wireless, was quoted as saying by the source. "It's about maximizing what we have, elevating our brand and reaching our consumers."
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Daniel Patrascu
Daniel Patrascu profile photo

Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories