NASCAR looking to fill four sponsor categories

NASCAR will go into 2009 with openings in at least four categories – rental car, quick-service restaurant, home improvement store and digital photography – while five other sponsors renewed their official status deals. The biggest defection comes from Home Depot, which has spent the last 10 years as NASCAR's official home improvement warehouse. It is one of four official partners that decided not to renew its league deal amid budget constraints. Enterprise, Domino's Pizza and Kodak also elected to let their official status deals expire. These agreements, which normally range from three to five years in length, typically go for the low seven figures annually. Jim O'Connell, NASCAR's vice president of corporate marketing, characterized the departures as "companies that are leaving the sport entirely. They all had bad years, earnings-wise, and they're looking at tighter budgets." Domino's and Kodak also vacated team deals in the past year – Domino's at Michael Waltrip Racing and Kodak at Penske Racing. Among the sponsors that renewed with multiyear deals are Mars, Office Depot, Tylenol, Unilever and Craftsman. The overall reduction going into 2009 leaves NASCAR with 38 official partners, including the four auto manufacturers, about 10 fewer than three years ago. Another pair of sponsors remain in limbo as 2008 comes to a close. DuPont is in negotiations to extend its contract with the sanctioning body, as is Sony. Sports Business Journal