From someone who has been sponsored and now is not....

[00 mod]

This is gonna be a long one, so bear with me.....

Alright guys, its pretty much like this! Sponsors are looking to sell their product. They could really care less about what you have accomplished. I know from a fact, because I started racing go karts at the age of 8. At the age of 18 I had no corporate sponsors only businesses owned by friends of the family, or people who wanted to see a smile on a little kids face! I was receiving somewhere in the neighborhood of $2500 a year! Let me tell you, this is a LONG way from truly being sponsored. My father(until the time I was 15 and could work) paid for everything for my racing from tires, engines, bodies ect.

At the age of 19, I had saved enough money to purchase the next step in my racing career. I bought a 4 yr old(which I might add was EXTREMELY out of date, as you could update a race car every 6 months) Larry Shaw IMCA.

At the time I could not afford an engine, so I found a local ex-racer who had a spare engine left over sitting in his garage! He was a very nice gentleman and even though the trade was not equal( I got the better end of the deal), I traded my 1981 Chevrolet K-5 Blazer with a rebuilt 350 for his race engine that was complete minus a carb, and the misc. parts needed to fab in into my chassis.

At the time this was the most help I had gotten towards racing, and It got me onto the track my first year, which otherwise wouldn't have happened due to lack of funds!

The only other help I received the first year was $100 off having a body hung on my car by another local racer here in town! Rays Auto Body and Collision Center

The only thing I was asked to do in return for their help was to bring my car out to their "Car Show Day", which was a day that all of their race cars were on display in front of their shop for customers, kids, and just general onlookers to stop by, ask questions, grab a free bite to eat, and generally promote their business! Without being asked, I detailed my car better than it had ever been before and took it upon myself to go to Walmart and buy some photo printing paper for my at home printer(cost me less than $20). I used up all of my ink printing pictures of my car(the one above) to hand out to kids! It was the hit of the car show and went a long way with my sponsor, as you will see. Shortly after I realized to be able to travel more and get my name out and represent my one sponsor better, I needed to get a larger truck to be on the road! A local auto lot had a very slightly used dually for sale so I tried my hand again! I struck a deal with the owner to trade in my current truck and sell me the dually (considerably more than my truck was worth) for the same money! In return I would run his add on the primo spot on my car and send anyone at the track looking to upgrade to him! I'm not sure if it was luck or fate, but 2 other drivers had truck problems that season and both purchased a vehicle from City Fleet Sales upon my suggestion!

Over the winter, I realized I needed to update my car, so with a little experience and a lot of determination, I sold myself, and what I could do for a couple more companies and picked up my first corporate sponsor, along with a couple others.

With new equipment comes heartbreak.... We couldn't get the new car to get around the track to save our lives, but having seasoned racers as a sponsor/friend helped! We quickly sold that car and built a brand new Shaw!

As you can see I picked up some corporate sponsors by this time in the form of a couple major liquor brands! I went on to race for touring series' as well as big money shows throughout the southern half of the United States! I had a blast, met a ton of great people, and have done things most people my age haven't!

I don't know if anything I have said here will help anyone to gain sponsorship, but I will add a few more points of help that are KEYS to your success:

* Always go above and beyond what is asked of you

* Never promise anything you cannot keep

* Never shoot yourself in the foot for the smallest of sponsors

* The key to maintaining a corporate sponsorship is having a good working relationship with the company, holding your end of the bargain, and then doing more

* I actually got a sponsor at one of the biggest races of the year...wanna know how! I had flipped completely totaling my primary car and a gentleman came up to me being very sarcastic asking how I was able to maintain such great sponsors when I can't even make it into the race. I shrugged it off as professionally as I could. Later that evening I was sitting in the pit stands and the same gentleman was close by! I heard him asking several people what the best part of the race night was , and 3 of the 4 people said something to the effect of "Man did you see that car go flipping down the back straightaway?" 2 of the 3 could name my 4 major sponsors because the track announcer had talked for some time about my great sponsors how I was going to need to call them up to get more money for a new car! That gentleman came down to my pit the next night and handed me $1000 and said, "Its not always the winner that gets the most attention is it? I wanna be recognized!" That was the coolest way I ever obtained a sponsor! The guy asked my to put his name on the bottom of my floorpan! HAHA. In other words he didn't want to be recognized, he wanted to help out in my efforts!

If anyone has any other questions about how I obtained my sponsors and kept them, feel free to ask or pm me! I no longer race and try to fish as much as I can to occupy my time! Here are some more pictures for your viewing pleasure!

Jeff a.k.a 00 mod (our cars are call modified for short)

The last year I raced was without sponsors as the economy had declined and it took all of the winnings I had saved up to finish the year and sadly I have sold everything I had for racing except my suit and helmet, just in case I get a call to drive for someone! ;D

[00 mod]

Something else I wanted to add in.  I received a sponsorship from a shirt company who gave me all of my shirts in return for add space on the car and on the shirt!  They told me to sell the shirts for whatever I wanted and keep the cash as the other part of the sponsor!  Instead I gave away shirts to tracks to throw in the stands during intermissions, kids coming by, cute women of course, and anyone else who wanted them!  Although I only had 12 dozen to give out, you can still go to tracks today and see people wearing my shirts, still advertising for my sponsors!

Jeff

Front

Back

[Tin]

.

[lynyrdsky1]

haha my brother in law is got one of your shirts

[00 mod]

Very cool!  Do I know him?

Jeff

[lynyrdsky1]

sent u a pm

[cart7t]

In the mid - late 70's my cousin ran at Lakehill Speedway for less than a year.  The same Lakehill that the Wallace bros. and Kenny Schrader were running on at that time. (yes, he raced against them).  Ron was sponsored by my uncle's 2 local businesses but he had no idea what was involved in racing nor the costs.  Ron, having something of a big mouth along with being a braggart, wound up getting himself run into the wall in his first 3-4 races.  The costs mounted up, by the middle of the first summer, his dis-figured car sat in my uncles front yard as the monies dried up.  He sold the thing later that year.

Racing is the most expensive sport anybody can think of getting into regardless of the level.

[00 mod]

You are correct!  Racing consumes your entire life and wallet as well!  But man is it a blast!

Jeff

[WoolleyBass]

You are correct! Racing consumes your entire life and wallet as well!

Jeff

So True! My father owns a mini sprint and has spent so much money on it for the last eight years its not even funny.

[Skeet22]

00Mod ,

We have some things in common. I started off in karts when I was 10 then started running stock cars when I was 14 before I could even drive on the street. Just recently gave it a couple of years ago when I blew an engine I just had sunk 9k into running a limited late model that I bought after selling my street stock. Sold out and decided to build a house and have a couple kids. I miss it alot and still drive a friends car from time to time when I cant stand it anymore. I just dont have the time or money to compete right now. If you can't go at it with all you got its not worth trying to compete. Here is a couple pics of cars that I have built and raced. The latest car i've built is the yellow streetstock for a friend of mind.I won 4 features last year driving this car on a limited basis. Your advice on the sponsorship was spot on. Bass fishing has helped keep my mind off racing and at least gives me something to do competively. I am already working on a plan to try and fish some Bassmaster opens possibly next year!

[robdob]

just wanted to say 4 years old is not that outdated. world of outlaws late model races were won this year in a 2007 rocket.. actually several races. also a local driver in central pa wins quite often in a 2001 bullit chassis..

[00 mod]

Hey robdob, I can guarantee you both the 2007 rocket chassis and the 2001 bullit have both been updated. In 2001 not many were using 4 bar rear suspension. I bet that bullit has 4 link now. And the 2007 rocket is almost guaranteed to have new front end stuff(spindels, lowers and uppers). You can disagree all you want, but I know what I experienced.

Jeff

[micorps]

Growing up in MN, i am very framiiar with these mods, very expensive, i race quads and found out it was fun and even with good finishes the end result was debt. I still race snowmobiles locally in MN because i love it and get alot of support from local mechanics.

[Tuckahoe Joe]

I know I'm bit late on this topic but that was a good read.  Very cool!