NASCAR’s premier Cup Series is looking for a new sponsor… and Monster Energy is high in the running. It has been announced that Monster Energy is a “finalist to become the new entitlement sponsor for NASCAR’s premier Cup series”. According to Jim Utter of MOTORSPORT.com, the Coca-Cola owned energy drink brand is in “advanced stage of negotiations with NASCAR to replace Sprint”. The NASCAR Sprint Sponsorship will end with the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Monster Energy has already had quite the lively and exciting career within the NASCAR world. Monster has been the primary sponsor for Kyle Busch’s Number 41 Cup Car at Stewart-Haas Racing, as well as serving as a sponsor for Kyle Busch in the Xfinity Series. With it’s successful history, Monster Energy is ready to rock and roll to bigger and better sponsorship deals- The Premier Cup Series.
So who exactly is the competition for Monster Energy?
Monster is not one of few, but one of many companies in contention for this coveted sponsorship deal. Some of these companies include PayPal, Hisense, Samsung, Subway, and Dunkin’ Donuts. So what sets Monster Energy apart from all of it’s competitors? FOXSPORTS.com’s Tom Jensen says, “If Monster does go on to take over Sprint, it would be a great fit for NASCAR," as the racing circuit has "never had more youthful talent with Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher, Erik Jones, William Byron and Daniel Suarez among the many young guns just starting to make names for themselves." That makes it a "perfect time for a youth-oriented company like Monster to step in and help lift the sport and promote the next generation of stars".
NASCAR seems to be extremely intrigued by the idea of having Monster Energy back this competition. Catering to the youth and millennial generation is where there is a big gap of fandom for NASCAR- catering to them with this sponsorship could big a big move for NASCAR. Also, the fact that Monster is owned by Coca-Cola, is great considering many NASCAR teams already have existing deals with the soft-drink bottler.
NASCAR Chairman Brian France believes that the announcement for the new entitlement sponsor for the Cup Series is right on track and will be sometime next month. The ultimate decision is just right around the corner… So, who will it be?
Written by Grace Bowles
General Editor: Macy Marin
Works Cited
http://www.foxsports.com/nascar/story/monster-energy-could-lift-nascar-to-a-new-level-111316 [Link broken as of 8/10/2020]
http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2016/11/14/Marketing-and-Sponsorship/Monster.aspx
http://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/brian-france-nascar-on-schedule-with-new-title-sponsor-announcement-826902/
http://autoweek.com/article/nascar/nascar-monster-energy-sponsor-kyle-busch-motorsports
http://www.jayski.com/news/pages/story/_/page/NASCAR-Sprint-Sponsorhip-News [Link broken as of 4/15/2019]
