Any "business" that relies on advertising - NOW has to be prepared to show that advertising with you is going to drive sales - or sales increases. If you can't do that - you're out. Backing a big league NHRA fuel team is HUGE money. John Force can probably show that he drives Castrol sales... I doubt Kenny Bernstein could say that to Budweiser... (just examples off the top of my head). It goes way back to when the Auto companies backed race teams - the old "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" comes to mind. Somehow - the fact that your car looks like a box of Tide - and you win some NHRA race - doesn't cause me to go out and buy a box of soap. When money is flowing and one of the boys in the board room is a gear head - then they throw some money around.
"We" sponsored THREE Indy Light cars in 2007 -- even won the championship... but that never was going to help sales - it was all just for fun. When you look at the cost/reward relationship - and you have to justify that to your shareholders..(the "we" is now publicly traded) you're not looking real sharp. So it comes to a halt.
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