Watkins Glen Cup sponsor terminates agreement
Centurion Boats, which has sponsored the event the last two years, is opting out of the third and final year of its contract with the Glen, said Les Clark, the East Coast general manager for Fineline Industries, the parent company of Centurion Boats.
"What I understand is that we won't be back as a (title) sponsor next year," Clark said Wednesday. "It's based on the downturn of the national economy. With the tough economic times, we have to focus on our core business."
The Glen's Sprint Cup Series event will return for its 24th consecutive year Aug. 6-9.
"Centurion was a great partner, but nobody could have foreseen the economy turning the way it has," WGI President Craig Rust said Wednesday. "We're supportive of their decision and pleased that they will still have a presence here, but in a greatly reduced role."
Although no official announcement had been made of Centurion's departure, securing a title sponsor is something Glen officials have already been working on.
"The economy is not going to make this easy, but we will do everything possible to find a title sponsor for our Sprint Cup event," Rust said. "We've been active and have a couple of companies that we're looking at. We've been a strong partner with our sponsors and feel like we offer a good value."
Said Clark: "We were very happy with our sponsorship at Watkins Glen. We got some great marketing out of it. The community and the people at the Glen were great to us."