Young NASCAR Drivers - Cool, Confident, And Cashing In

Home Depot's Hugh Miskel, director of sales development, says Stewart's occasional public relations problems are outweighed by the benefits of exposure gained by the company. "You sort of have the philosophy that if you finish in first or in flames, as long as they're talking about you on Monday morning at the water cooler, you have to view it as a success," says Miskel.

Earning exposure is the name of the game in marketing. When a company is shelling out $10 million or more per year in sponsorship money, getting noticed is of primary concern. Getting noticed in Victory Lane is the ultimate goal.

Companies look for drivers who can perform on the track and behave like a gentleman away from it. Still, young drivers are largely unproven in the major leagues, sometimes with little or no success in a stock car, and even less experience facing a media swarm.

"First, you don't know what they can really do in the Cup series, in the top series," says Max Muhleman, president of IMG/Muhleman Marketing. "Then they have their own personal risks. Some of the risks are just like those we see in other major league sports, frankly, where a lot more money than they've ever had before comes their way, and they have 'how-do-they-behave' risks. The other risk, of course, is the one of not being able to do what you expect them to do."

Stewart and Johnson did nothing to set themselves apart in the Busch Series, with Stewart going winless and Johnson winning just once, so both sponsors relied on other mechanisms of evaluation. In aligning with Joe Gibbs Racing and Stewart, Home Depot relied on Gibbs' reputation for success and his ability to deal with people. Lowe's used the same strategy with Hendrick Motorsports and Johnson, relying on Jeff Gordon's assessment of Johnson.

While those two situations paid off quite well, with two of the top seasons ever by Winston Cup rookies, many risks remain in choosing unproven stock car drivers. For every Johnson there's a Jason Leffler, who dropped back to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series this year after spending an unsuccessful 2001 in Winston Cup with Ganassi Racing. For every Stewart, there's a Scott Pruett, a road-racing veteran who was unsuccessful in his attempt to cross over to stock car racing with Cal Wells in 2000.

Miskel insists that Home Depot's primary motivation to get involved in NASCAR came from the company's employees, and the company has used its association with Gibbs and Stewart as a tool to boost morale internally while at the same time giving employees common ground with customers. The impact, buoyed by Stewart's success, has been better than expected.

"I think there is some uncertainty going into any sponsorship as far as what the return is going to be," says Miskel. "The early success of the program exceeded our expectations and has created a very positive umbrella effect over the entire program, which is going to allow it to do more both internally and externally, whether it's (NASCAR) products in our stores or entertainment of customers. And that has and can have a very positive effect on our business overall. I think the outlook for us is very positive, because the on-track performance has been a bonus to everything else we've put in place. ... It has only enhanced everything we've done."

NASCAR drivers have traditionally been considered in their prime when they reach their mid-30s. So, how can a driver such as a Jimmie Johnson or a Tony Stewart not only win early but also be consistently competitive, while some of the sport's top names didn't find consistent success until later in their careers? Primarily, the new guys are getting into good equipment quicker than did their predecessors, who had to pay their dues before getting an opportunity in a top car. And with the number of quality sponsors involved today-sponsors who provide the money for successful ventures-there are simply more good cars out there.

Then there's the Gordon factor. Gordon's early success-he was Winston Cup champion soon after turning 24-changed the dynamics of the sport, paving the way for young guys who've followed. With more quality rides available, and with team owners more willing to take a chance on a young driver, due to Gordon's success, the result is more young drivers in the limelight.