If anything was true of the 2001 racing season, it was the fact that everyone was looking for a little good news. A huge dose came in November, when Dodge stepped to the plate and scored a home run for grassroots racers nationwide.
Dodge has become the title sponsor of the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series, which had gone solo for two seasons. For years Winston sponsored the series, but had to pull out to comply with cigarette-stomping feds.
This is especially great news given the fact that large-scale sponsorship deals have become increasingly difficult to find. Most of corporate America is blue-faced from the amount of belt-tightening going on.
For you folks not overly familiar with the Weekly Racing Series, here's a little primer:
* The $1.7 million Weekly Racing Series point fund is paid by NASCAR, Dodge, and 25 participating sponsors. It is the highest-paying point fund for any weekly racing series in the country. The national champion alone will collect more than $150,000.
* About 90 tracks participate in the series, representing 37 states, including Alaska. Tracks range in size from .250-mile to .646-mile, and include both asphalt and dirt ovals.
* Many of NASCAR's stars launched their careers in the Weekly Racing Series, among them Jeff and Ward Burton, Stacy Compton, Terry Cook, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ron Hornaday, Bobby Labonte, Jeremy Mayfield, Mike McLaughlin, Steve Park, Elliott Sadler, Jack Sprague, and Mike Wallace.
* NASCAR sanctions approximately 2,200 racing events every year. The Weekly Racing Series represents almost 2,000 of those events.
* Local racers compete in one of 10 regions and accumulate ratings based on their performance. At the end of the season, 10 regional champions are recognized and one national champion.
* Of the NASCAR championship banquets, the one held for Weekly Racing Series competitors is second in size only to the NASCAR Winston Cup Series banquet. About 800 guests typically attend.
The bottom line is that these are the guys and gals who race at a track near you. They put on one heck of a show, and deserve the recognition the Weekly Racing Series provides.
Dodge has already made waves in NASCAR by returning to Winston Cup action in a winning way. Now the carmaker has extended its reach to good, old-fashioned short-track racing.
"Any way you look at it, this is an ideal addition to our racing activities," says Jim Julow, vice president of the Dodge Global Brand Center. "On one hand, the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series provides Dodge Dealer partners with additional race sponsorship, hospitality and promotional opportunities for their customers and employees. And on the other, it opens the door to even more ways to leverage our return to the NASCAR Winston Cup Series and work with other NASCAR sponsors."
Now, race fans, you can return the favor in a couple of ways. If you haven't checked out Weekly Racing Series action, then do so. You won't be disappointed. And if you're in the market for a new car or truck, make sure some of the tires you kick are attached to a Dodge. Like the many other racing sponsors, you need to support the companies that support your sport.
I'm thrilled that Dodge is on board and what that could mean for the continued success of the Weekly Racing Series and to the careers of those racers wanting to make it to the next level.
"A competitor can begin to develop a solid career in the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series, eventually moving through our regional touring program and into one of the national series," says Chris Boals, director of the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series.
If it's OK with Dodge, I'd like to make a little suggestion. Remember the shootout once in the works for series competitors? The one that would bring in the top guns of the Weekly Racing Series and let them face off for big bucks? The whole thing got shelved once Winston pulled out as series sponsor.