Untitled Document
A money maker
In 1971, NASCAR's premier division became known as the Winston Cup Series, with corporate sponsorship from the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco company. Attendance and television exposure exploded simultaneously. By the mid-1980s, Fortune 500 companies were sponsoring individual races and teams, and drivers were displaying logos of detergents and coffees and cereals on the hoods of their cars and on their backs. By 1989, every race on the Winston Cup schedule was televised, and sponsorships crossed all product lines — from M&Ms to Viagra.
And then there are the licensing deals that every driver and team and owner capitalize on: everything from die-cast model cars to coffee mugs and caps and T-shirts and banners and beach towels. The fans can't get enough!
— Connie Grosch
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