Nascar's Gordon also winning exposure for sponsors
By Ben Klayman
NEW YORK, May 20 (Reuters) - Nascar driver Jeff Gordon not only led the racing circuit's Sprint Cup Series standings through the season's first 10 events, but is winning the race for TV exposure for his corporate clients, according to a study released on Wednesday.
Gordon's 70 brands have appeared for almost 12-1/2 hours during TV coverage devoted to the races, almost 1-1/2 hours more than sponsors received from three-time defending champion and teammate Jimmie Johnson, according to Joyce Julius & Associates. Gordon remains in first place after the 11th race last weekend.
Fan and corporate spending in Nascar has been hurt by the recession, forcing many of the sport's race teams to cut jobs and scramble to attract sponsors. The largest race track companies, International Speedway Corp (ISCA.O) and Speedway Motorsports Inc (TRK.N), both cited similar pressures in their latest quarterly reports.
As a result, companies have gravitated to drivers that are more likely to be among the leaders.
Gordon's sponsors appeared on his car, uniform and support crew's uniforms clear and in focus for a total of 12 hours, 27 minutes and 10 seconds during the first 10 races, said Joyce Julius, which measures the scope of sponsorships across all forms of media.
Race announcers and Gordon also mentioned his sponsors 103 times, according to Joyce Julius.
Johnson's 54 sponsors, meanwhile, amassed on-screen time totaling 10 hours, 42 minutes and 3 seconds, while also being mentioned verbally on 100 occasions, Joyce Julius said.
Gordon also offered the most exposure for the sport's lead sponsor, Sprint Nextel Corp (S.N), as well as the most for his automaker partner, General Motors Corp's GM.N Chevrolet, Joyce Julius said.
Johnson provided the most exposure for tire maker Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co (GT.N) and the most exposure on a hood for his sponsor, Lowe's Companies Inc (LOW.N), according to Joyce Julius said.
Rookie driver Joey Logano showed he can fit right in with the more seasoned drivers, providing Home Depot Inc (HD.N) with the most verbal mentions for a primary team sponsor at 35, Joyce Julius said. (Reporting by Ben Klayman, editing by Leslie Gevirtz)
