This time a year ago, Ask.com was preparing to make the splash of the season at Daytona. It had a custom-made motor coach, pretty girls dressed in red and white to act as Ask Ambassadors throughout the speedway, and up to 30 new 15-second ad spots.

The eager search engine had seemingly thought of everything for its first year of an official partnership with NASCAR and a team sponsorship at Hall of Fame Racing.

But as the industry rolls into Daytona this week for the start of the 2010 season, the major question will be: What happened to Ask.com?

Despite trumpeting successful results from its sponsorships and advertising in NASCAR last year, the Barry Diller-owned company opted not to return this year, allowing its NASCAR partnership and team deal to expire after one year. A change in leadership—CEO Jim Safka did the NASCAR deals last year but was replaced by president Doug Leeds in October—led to changes in marketing.

Ask.com spent about $15 million on its NASCAR sponsorships and activation last year, industry insiders said. Its official deal with NASCAR was in the low seven figures, while the team sponsorship cost Ask.com $4 million.

The majority of NASCAR sponsors whose deals were up last year renewed, including Dodge, Unilever, DuPont, DirecTV, Kraft, and Procter & Gamble brands Gillette, Old Spice and Prilosec OTC.

NASCAR also added Screenvision and Drive4COPD as new partners, with Screenvision being the official cinema ad agency and Drive4COPD, a group that drives awareness and screening for lung disease, serving as the official health initiative.

DirecTV's renewal is accompanied by a new HotPass product for 2010 that is expected to remain free but come with a new consumer promotion that will be announced this week in Daytona.

Among the sponsors that didn't renew for this year: P&G brand Duracell, Best Western, Yardman/Cub Cadet, and Kellogg's, along with Ask.

"We're happy with a 75 percent renewal rate, especially given the economy," NASCAR's Jim O'Connell, vice president of corporate marketing said. "The important thing about the sponsors that renewed is that most of them are fully integrated into the sport with teams and drivers and they're activating nationally, which helps NASCAR reach new fans."

The Ask.com departure, though, was tough to swallow because it held a prominent place on NASCAR.COM as the official search engine, it advertised heavily, and the business results were good.

"We saw double-digit increases in usage among NASCAR fans," Cluff said. "With the fan cards that our Ask Ambassadors passed out at the track, we saw a 27 percent conversion rate to the site, so fans were coming back from the track and going to the site. That's a remarkable stat."

Cluff didn't rule out the possibility of an advertising play in NASCAR during the back half of the season, but those plans have not been finalized, he said.

O'Connell said NASCAR is pressing forward in several categories such as consumer electronics, a larger technology partner and a quick-service restaurant.

Sony was formerly the electronics partner but left last year, and in-depth talks with Panasonic didn't produce a deal. AMD was formerly the technology partner but vacated in 2007, while the quick-service restaurant category has been open since Checkers/Rally's left in 2008.

NASCAR's official partner count stands at 36. - sporting news wire service/www.nascar.com

FROM:  kimkardashian.celebuzz.com

I have to tell you about this amazing sweepstakes Sephora and I are doing! One grand-prize winner and a guest will be flown out to Las Vegas to meet me at my fragrance event at Sephora at the Venetian and attend my launch after-party at Tao!! Tao is one of my favorite clubs in Vegas... you guys will LOVE IT!

And... the part I'm most excited for... you will come to the Shelby American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event to help me cheer on my car! I can't believe I actually have my own NASCAR racing car! No one has seen this yet, so this is your exclusive first look at my car! What do you think? - SEE THE CAR HERE

Danica Patrick’s representatives at IMG soon will be talking to the brands endorsed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. as both camps seek opportunities to combine the star power of the two drivers.

Even though Patrick’s move to NASCAR has been in the works since the summer, she just last week signed to drive a dozen or so Nationwide Series races for Earnhardt’s JR Motorsports, a team he co-owns with Rick Hendrick. She’ll continue to drive a full Izod IndyCar Series schedule for Andretti Autosport.

“Now that there’s something real to talk about, we can sit with (Earnhardt’s) partners to find the right opportunities for both of them,” said Mark Dyer, senior vice president, strategic planning and development at IMG, the agency that represents Patrick and engineered her move to NASCAR. Dyer is part of an IMG team that includes Alan Zucker, Patrick’s agent from the client representation group; Tom Worcester from business development; and Tom Knox from motorsports business development.

GoDaddy.com will be the primary sponsor on Patrick’s No. 7 Chevrolet at JRM, and two other associate sponsorships are close. Primary, full-season sponsorships in the Nationwide Series run anywhere from $5 million to $7 million a year for the top teams.

Go Daddy also sponsors Patrick in IndyCar, so the potential for sponsor conflict has been limited so far. IndyCar primary sponsorships run about the same as Nationwide team deals, in the mid-to-high seven figures.

Additionally, Go Daddy is spending well into eight figures to sponsor Mark Martin’s No. 5 Sprint Cup car for a majority of the 36 races next year, bringing the total sponsorship spend for the domain name provider to more than $20 million. That doesn’t include Go Daddy’s significant media buy, which will include two spots for Patrick ads in the Super Bowl.

Go Daddy also sponsored a JRM car last season and is expected to have a relationship with Earnhardt this season.

As IMG and JRM work together to fill out the sponsorship on her Nationwide Series car, the more compelling possibilities are how Patrick might work together with Earnhardt, NASCAR’s most popular driver for seven straight seasons. Earnhardt’s co-primary sponsors are Pepsi’s Amp Energy and National Guard, while he also endorses Nationwide Insurance, the title sponsor of NASCAR’s No. 2 series. John Aman, associate vice president of sponsorships for Nationwide, has said the insurance giant is studying endorsement opportunities, which could play off Patrick’s participation in the series or her ties with Earnhardt.

“Absolutely” there will be opportunities, Dyer said, for Patrick and Earnhardt to work together. “There are a lot of brands within Pepsi, and Dale has his own affiliation with Go Daddy and Nationwide as well.”

Just as interesting is the potential for a brand to pair Patrick and Earnhardt’s sister, Kelley, the president of JRM who negotiated the deal with IMG to bring Patrick to the team. Kelley Earnhardt, like Patrick, is blazing trails as a woman in a profession dominated by men.

“There are some great story lines there about Danica coming to NASCAR and the female executive who helped bring her into the sport,” Dyer said.

Other entities can’t wait to put Patrick’s star power to use as well, given her perceived ability to drive ticket sales and TV ratings, two areas that have slumped in recent years. Chris Powell, president of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, is already devising promotional possibilities that would incorporate Patrick in a ticket-selling plan.

Patrick has not yet committed to a race schedule, but with the Feb. 27 Las Vegas race the third event on the Nationwide Series schedule—well before the March 14 season opener in IndyCar—she is expected to include Vegas on her calendar.

“It’s a breath of fresh air for the sport,” Powell said. “We’re hoping to create a promotion around her appearance that will be exciting for fans and potentially rewarding. What we hope is that a fan or fans will win something based on where Danica finishes. Ever since there’s been talk about her coming into NASCAR, we’ve been talking about ways to leverage her presence and profile.”

Patrick, likewise, will figure heavily into ESPN’s promotion of the Nationwide Series, which typically begins with a brand campaign around late January, about three weeks before the start of the season. ESPN2 carries most of the Nationwide Series races, with some bouncing over to ESPN or ABC. Viewership for NASCAR’s No. 2 series was down 12.7 percent in 2009, averaging 1.8 million viewers for 35 races.

“Danica is one of the drivers who has proven she can move the meter,” said Julie Sobieski, ESPN’s vice president, programming and acquisitions. “In 2005, we saw significant increases in the Indy 500 when she was a rookie. She’s a story that transcends the sport and has the power to bring in different viewers. Casual fans will gravitate to this story line. We see advantages across both of the series, Nationwide and IndyCar.”

Dyer said the strategy with Patrick has been to position her as a NASCAR driver, not solely a Nationwide Series driver. And despite her partial schedule in NASCAR as she continues to compete full time in IndyCar, “there will be the ability to market with her yearlong,” Dyer said.

It remains to be seen where Peak, one of Danica’s longest-running partners, will fit in on her Nationwide or IndyCar car, but that relationship is expected to continue.
 - msn.foxsports.com

'K, so everyone has their list of "fascinating personalities" from everything from cartoon characters to those people who really influence our daily lives - movie stars and sports figures.

Herewith, please find myownself's top 10 Most Fascinating NASCAR People for 2009. Understand that, in spite of politicians who create laws and scandals, in spite of other personalities who represent other "sports," and in spite of all the current hoopla about Danica, these are the people who really count. Honest. For reals.

But, before I start my list, I must tell you that my friend, Charlene, and I received our tickets to the Vegas NASCAR race, which is always cause for celebration for us. Unfortunately, Charlene had to announce that on FB (Facebook for those of you who choose not to be a friend of mine — whatever), so I'm already getting warning letters from the Vegas Police Department and all the law enforcement people along our route to Vegas, "suggesting" I, for at least one year, behave myself and refrain from speeding and stalking some of the drivers. JSYK, I do NOT "stalk" drivers. I simply attempt to share my admiration, my devotion and my undying love for them. In my book, that's being fan-tastic, but for whatever reason, the people with badges and NASCAR officials don't agree with it.

For the safety of Charlene and myownself, I have a new vehicle to drive to Vegas this year and I have a totally new look I will adapt for the five days we are in Sin City. No one will

recognize me, I'm sure, although I do have one of those booties that can't be hidden on accounta the "wide load" sign the Department of Transportation insists I wear all the time. Whatever.

BAM Racing and Warner Music Nashville announced a strategic marketing alliance that will give WMN exclusive promotional opportunities with the NASCAR Sprint Cup racing team.

Under the agreement, WMN artists will have the opportunity to participate in branding and promotional programs at NASCAR events, including artist tie-ins, sponsorships and promotional appearances, as well as exclusive positioning for their images and branding on BAM's #49 racecar, show cars, transporter and pit equipment. The first BAM promotional event with WMN artists is scheduled to take place on February 6, 2010 at the Daytona International Speedway. - br pr

LIE DETECTOR: The moment of truth is here. Tony Stewart will go head-to-head with a lie detector machine to answer a list of questions. Among the queries will be a question about whether he likes the Whopper-brand hamburger served by one of his sponsors, Burger King. The session will begin at 1 p.m. This is a live Web event, so you must log onto bk.com/TruthAboutTony to see how Stewart fares against the lie detector. What makes this fun is the fact Stewart will be asked several other questions, presumably about his personal life. - www.news-journalonline.com

Mars, which acquired Wrigley for $23B last year, will begin incorporating the Doublemint gum brand into its sponsorship on Kyle Busch's No. 18 Sprint Cup Toyota in '10. M&M's will remain the primary brand on Busch's car at Joe Gibbs Racing for 23 races, and it will be joined by Mars brands Snickers (two races) and Pedigree (three races) in addition to Doublemint (two races).

Mars has the No. 18 car for 30 of the 36 Sprint Cup events. Interstate Batteries is expected to be back for the other six. The other Mars brand that has been on Busch's car in the past, Combos, will move over to the Nationwide Series to sponsor Busch's car for three races next year. Wrigley previously sponsored Juan Pablo Montoya at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing before pulling back earlier this year. -- Sports Business Daily

The Sprint Cup Series lost two liquor sponsors this week as Jack Daniel's (backer of Richard Childress Racing's No. 07 Chevrolet driven by Casey Mears) and Jim Beam (on the No. 7 Toyota of Robby Gordon Motorsports) announced they were leaving after the season.

Industry analysts say the moves reflect increasing competition for the sports marketing dollar in the spirits industry. CBS ended a self-imposed ban on liquor ads during this year's Grammy telecast, and more local affiliates have followed suit.

"Advertisers today are looking for bargains and with network advertising revenue off about $250 million, there are some deals out there," says H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, former president of Lowe's Motor Speedway for 33 years and now a racing consultant. "Sponsorships of quality NASCAR race cars are not perceived to be dropping."

The companies in separate statements said they weren?t dissatisfied with their NASCAR investments but sought new platforms for targeting consumers.

"Jack Daniel's has enjoyed a good five-year run with RCR and NASCAR, and we are pleased with the overall performance of our sponsorship program," said Tim Rutledge, vice president and brand director for Jack Daniel's. "While it is difficult for us to end our formal relationship, the current economic environment has compelled us to revaluate our spending, and we've concluded that other areas in the marketing mix require additional investment."

David Carter, executive director of the University of Southern California's Sports Business Institute, says with sponsors tightening marketing budgets because of the economic downturn, long-term expenditures such as NASCAR sponsorships might be less appealing.

Primary sponsorships in Sprint Cup typically are three-year contracts, and championship-caliber teams can command $20-30 million per season. Because companies spend roughly the same amount on marketing their sponsorship in addition to what is owed the team, the total price of a multiyear deal can balloon well above $100 million.

"The marketing options available to the spirits industry, including sports marketing and advertising, have increased and with these added opportunities comes competition for marketing dollars," Carter says. "Some short-term tactical spending may remain in sports, including NASCAR, but not necessarily major sponsorship."

Distilled spirits will maintain a presence in NASCAR. Crown Royal renewed a multiyear commitment to Roush Fenway Racing earlier this year and will sponsor Matt Kenseth in 18 races next year. NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston says there are no plans to reconsider its ban on liquor sponsors.

"NASCAR provides the best opportunity to reach their audience and won't be surprised to see other spirits sponsors take their places," Poston said. "NASCAR continues to be in a remarkably strong position despite the economy. We've had maximum fields all year long."

Wheeler, though, says NASCAR needs to accelerate efforts to cut costs. He says if a team's annual budget could be reduced "to around $8 million, finding sponsors and keeping them would be much better.

"All motorsports, because of its reliance on advertisers, has found this year that we are in an incredible fight for marketing dollars," Wheeler says. "In the past we were considered a bargain when compared to network TV and major magazine rates. As the costs of racing escalated, that has all changed. We must adjust to it because if we get the price right we are still a very attractive buy."

Wheeler says the departure of Jim Beam and Jack Daniel's — which adorn cars that are winless this season and didn't qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup — also shows results are critical to sponsors.

"They're looking at other ways to spend money, and if you're winning, that doesn't happen," Wheeler says. "Those teams have had a tough time, and that plays a factor in it."- Nate Ryan- www.usatoday.com

FedEx Racing, sponsor of Denny Hamlin's #11 Toyota, will join the American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania this week, welcoming Philadelphia-area students on Thursday for the Race to Prepare, an event that stresses disaster preparedness through the building of a disaster kit and preparedness education. As part of the company's commitment to supporting disaster preparedness and relief efforts around the world, and in celebration of the long-term relationship with the organization, FedEx will be making a donation to the local American Red Cross chapter.- FedEx Racing

CONCORD, N.C. -- Mark Martin has agreed to a contract extension through the 2011 season with Hendrick Motorsports -- and he will have a new primary sponsor.

GoDaddy.com has signed to sponsor the No. 5 Chevrolet for 20 races -- including the Daytona 500 -- during the 2010 Sprint Cup Series season.

"Mark Martin is the consummate professional and a very exciting driver, to say the least," said Bob Parsons, GoDaddy.com founder and CEO. "He's the sentimental favorite for this year's Sprint Cup championship, and we're stoked to have him driving for Go Daddy next year."

GoDaddy.com's affiliation with Hendrick Motorsports began in 2008 with a two-race primary sponsorship of the No. 25, a program that this season expanded to seven Cup events. In 2009, the company also became an associate-level sponsor of the No. 5.

"GoDaddy.com is an exciting, aggressive partner with immense marketing savvy," team owner Rick Hendrick said. "The fact that they're again expanding their relationship with us says a lot about the success of their business and the results they've seen from these programs. It's extremely rewarding to have a partner grow with our organization, and we're looking forward to repaying them with performance."

Martin has four wins, tied for the series lead, in his first Cup Series campaign with Hendrick. The team announced May 6 that Martin would return full time in 2010.

"Mark has been an unbelievable asset to our organization," Hendrick said. "I can't overstate the contribution he's made or the kind of teammate he's been, and we're excited that he'll race with us for the next two years. With his focus and dedication, he will continue to make all of us better."

Martin, 50, is the oldest driver ever to qualify for NASCAR's championship-deciding Chase for the Sprint Cup, which begins Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

"It's a real privilege to have this opportunity with GoDaddy.com and to work with Rick, Alan and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports," said Martin who has qualified for the Chase in all four of his fulltime seasons since the format was implemented in 2004. "I'm looking forward to building on what we've started and driving some great GoDaddy.com race cars.

"As long as I can have fun, compete at a high level and have the opportunity to win, I'm going to continue to do this. I'm having a blast, and that's always been most important to me and my family."

Additional sponsorship for the No. 5 Chevrolets will be announced at a later date.- Team Release- www.nascar.com