With Nationwide Insurance ending its sponsorship of NASCAR’s No. 2 national series following the 2014 season, the sanctioning body is hunting for a new backer that can kick in $12-$15 million for title sponsorship of the category.
Additionally, the Sports Business Journal reports that NASCAR is also telling potential prospects that they also expect a 10-year deal that includes a media commitment of more than $10 million as well as an activation commitment of more than $10 million. Altogether, that puts the annual price tag at more than $30 million.
Post-2014, Nationwide will focus its NASCAR efforts on Sprint Cup while maintaining its status as the series’ official insurance company through 2017. The company sponsored Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in several Cup events this past season.
Per the SBJ, NASCAR plans to approach companies that were in the mix for the NNS’ title sponsorship when it was last available in 2007. Among that group was Subway (a prominent sponsor of Cup driver Carl Edwards and Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 99 team), which was on the verge of striking a deal for the sponsorship but then decided to back out.
The new sponsor’s debut in 2015 would also coincide with a new TV deal that features the NBC Sports Group. The Group will carry the final 19 NNS races of the season, with 15 of those races on NBCSN and the remaining four on NBC.
