LVMS gets record Cup sponsor
Thursday, Oct. 14, 1999 | 10:57 a.m.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway has negotiated what is believed to be the most lucrative single-race sponsorship in auto racing for its NASCAR Winston Cup race in March.
CarsDirect.com, an Internet website that allows consumers to purchase automobiles on the World Wide Web, has agreed in principle to serve as the title sponsor for the March 5, 2000, Winston Cup race.
According to industry sources, the title sponsorship fee is in the neighborhood of $1.9 million, which would be a record for a Winston Cup race.
Chris Powell, general manager of LVMS, confirmed that the Speedway has held talks with CarsDirect.com, but would not comment on the financial details of the proposed deal.
"We have negotiated a deal, but we don't have a signed agreement -- but that's not to say that we don't have full belief that it will be (signed)," Powell said. "We're looking forward to getting the agreement signed and moving forward with an announcement in a few weeks."
Powell said a formal announcement on the race sponsorship likely would be made during the first week in November.
It is believed that the richest Winston Cup race sponsorship deal struck to date is in the $1.5 million to $1.6 million range per year.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway was able to command a better deal than any other Winston Cup track because of the television ratings this year's Las Vegas 400 garnered on ABC. The race, won by Jeff Burton and witnessed by more than 130,000 spectators, drew a 6.0 rating (approximately 16 million viewers).
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority served as the title sponsor of the 1998 and 1999 Winston Cup races, but elected earlier this year not to renew its sponsorship due to budgetary constraints. The LVCVA paid LVMS $1.7 million per year to sponsor both the Winston Cup and Indy Racing League events at the Speedway.
Next year's Winston Cup event at LVMS will be called the CarsDirect.com 500 and would give the Speedway two sponsorships involving Internet websites; the IRL race here last month was sponsored by Las Vegas-based website Vegas.com.
CarsDirect.com is believed to be the only Internet site that offers consumers the ability to order, finance and set up delivery of new automobiles -- and even trade in their old vehicles -- online.
archive
- Most Read
- Discussed
- Most E-mailed
- Trainers scuffle at Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto weigh-in
- Live Blog: Pacquiao wins by TKO in round twelve
- Clubs want to be ‘good citizen,’ so stripper-mobile ends its run
- Police seek man who stole $2,000 worth of clothing
- Las Vegas club agrees to halt promotion featuring live dancers on truck
- Nuclear plant in Ely could complicate radioactive waste, water issues
- Now we can all see Islamic extremism for what it truly is
- Las Vegas Hilton reports wider loss in quarter
- Manny Pacquiao says he feels stronger than ever
- Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao: The only fight fans want to see
Blogs
The Kats Report
New face of Monte Carlo includes all the faces of Caliendo
The Greene Room
Predicting this weekend's Mountain West football slate (1 Comment)
Top Chef: Las Vegas
Top Chef Episode 11: Child's play
Miech Again
UNLV prez Smatresk is ready for some basketball (10 Comments)
Politics: The Early Line
Harry Reid's fourth TV ad begins running today
The Greene Room
Chad Ochocinco vs. Anderson Silva? That would be a sight ... (5 Comments)
Top Chef: Las Vegas
The Jet Stream: The three stages of chefdom
Calendar »
- 15 Sun
- 16 Mon
- 17 Tue
- 18 Wed
- 19 Thu
-
Actor's Expo at Rave Motion Pictures
Rave Motion Pictures Town Square 18 | 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
-
Lily Tomlin at the Hollywood Theatre
Hollywood Theatre at MGM Grand
-
Neil Sedaka at the Orleans
Orleans Hotel-Casino
-
Supernatural Santana – A Trip Through the Hits at The Joint
The Joint
The Sun
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
Technorati





