Team Owners Eye “Huge Leap Forward” For Rolex 24 At Daytona
With ticket sales and sponsor interest "up this year, team owners and others are optimistic." Team Owner Michael Shank said sports car series purses have never reached the proportions of NASCAR races because there is "not enough corporate involvement."
Shank said "ticket sales are up" for the event. He added that in terms of the size of the field, the interest and ticket sales, it could be the "biggest Rolex 24 in history." Shank estimated that it will "cost roughly $550,000 to [compete] in the race this weekend, including the testing earlier in January." Pulver wrote if teams are "fortunate, they also land corporate sponsors who pay to have their brand and logos on the race car." Though teams "don't discuss the cash behind the sponsorships, team owners indicated the prices are more reasonable than NASCAR series."
While sponsorship in a Nationwide or Sprint Cup race "offers huge exposure in terms of the number of fans and television viewers, the sponsor may not stand out like they would on an IMSA car." Daytona Beach NEWS-JOURNAL