Sponsorships appear to be going like hotcakes for NASCAR drivers and teams. So what's holding up replacement of Sprint for the flagship racing series?
Thursday brought another huge score — Busch Beer re-upped with Kevin Harvick. Brand and driver have been a solid combination the past two years, with a Cup championship in 2014 and last year's runner-up finish.
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Trevor Bayne got word of a deal on Wednesday to keep a major sponsor on the leash for another three years. Jamie McMurray picked up a sponsorship on Tuesday.
So, what about NASCAR and the naming rights for its Cup series? NASCAR's anticipated announcement date came and went. There's talk of a split sponsorship rather than having one title brand. Or maybe sponsorship for less than desired. And all summer there were hints of possible international brands' interest, Coca-Cola for example, amid NASCAR czar Brian France's happy talk of possibilities and patience.
With Sprint leaving after a decade-plus run that begin when it acquired Nextel, NASCAR might have had too many dollar signs in mind. But with TV and race audience numbers sliding, $1 billion dreams vanished.
It's enough to make a sanctioning body yearn for the halcyon days of sponsorship by a tobacco brand.
Since that won't happen, there's a possibility that NASCAR might have to wait … until next year? Nah, that wouldn't happen. Would it?