AMP returns to #88 at Martinsville

UPDATE A reader writes, Dear AR1.com, I don't get it. A winner like Matt Kenseth can't get a sponsor and a loser like Dale Jr. has them standing in line. Tim DeCesaro

Dear Tim, Dale Jr. isn't the only backmarker flush with sponsorship in racing. There are many others. That is what degrades the sport and brings it down. In stick and ball sports either you produce, or you are out. In racing, either you bring a big check or you are out. So we ask, is racing still a sport, or just a marketing endeavor to bring in cash? Perhaps American motorsports should be moved off the sports page and onto the Hollywood gossip pages. There was a time when the best drivers/athletes were the heroes of the sport. Us old-timers find it disheartening, while we watch the sport degrade. Look at IndyCar – for years they hung their hat on Danica Patrick. While she brought in a lot of money for herself based on her good looks, what did it do to grow IndyCar racing? And now she is gone to NASCAR. IndyCar's primary marketing scheme for years just walked out the door. Along with the loss of popular Dan Wheldon, IndyCar is in search of a new marketing angle on which to hang its hat. Let's hope the best drivers get the publicity they deserve, and that starts with sponsorship activation that includes the drivers. If that is not written into the engine manufacturer contracts, IndyCar has already missed the boat – a golden opportunity lost. Mark C.

12/29/11 Dale Earnhardt Jr. is scheduled to run a green AMP Energy paint scheme on the #88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy at Martinsville in April and supposedly run a slightly different version for three races later in the season. AMP Energy has been the primary sponsor for the #88 since Earnhardt Jr. started driving the car. In 2012, the #88's primary sponsors will be Diet Mountain Dew and the Army National Guard. Jayski