Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: New sponsor will allow series to reach younger fans

Thursday, Dec. 6, 2001 | 10:04 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. Reach him at bh@lasvegassun.com or 259-4089.

It doesn't take a marketing genius to realize the enormity of the National Hot Rod Association landing Powerade -- a Coca-Cola Company brand -- as the series' title sponsor.

Having R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company and its Winston brand as the series sponsor for the past 27 years, the NHRA was limited in how it was able to market itself.

With Monday's announcement that Coca-Cola and Powerade are on board for at least five years, NHRA now has the opportunity to reach fans -- especially those under the age of 18 -- it may have missed in years past.

More importantly, said 11-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force, the drivers and teams that fuel the sport will benefit from the new partnership.

With the announcement that the year-end prize fund for the Top Fuel and Funny Car champions will double to $400,000 each next season (the other professional categories, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle, will receive lesser increases), Force said struggling teams will benefit from the new sponsorship.

"I think the biggest thing that this (sponsorship) will help is ... drag racing takes a lot of money to run this schedule that we run in all the major markets in the country," Force said. "There are a lot of underfunded teams and I think that the Coca-Cola bottling corporation and Powerade are going to open doors and people won't be so afraid to hang their necks out and make an investment in the NHRA.

"The ones who are really going to grow from this and get a break are the drivers ... who don't have a lot of funding. I think a lot of guys that don't have it are going to get it and I think a lot of the teams that are underfunded are going to grow because of what (NHRA president) Tom Compton and the NHRA has brought to the table."

The NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series prize fund will increase to more than $3 million as a result of the new sponsorship and Force said that the employees of each team also would benefit from the extra money.

"With the purses doubling, this is exciting," Force said. "The bottom line is it's the employees that really take home the paycheck. They dedicate their lives to working around the clock -- and they're on the road 11 months out of the year -- and when they see a championship check put up like this, it only motivates them to work harder.

"It will be good for them, too. I've called my employees to tell them of the purses and they were very excited because that feeds their families and that builds a future for them. New cars and homes -- that's what it's all about."

Compton agreed with his series' most visible -- and vocal -- driver.

"For the first time in our history, we have a brand and a company committed to marketing our sport," Compton said. "I can't think of a better situation to help expose more people to our great sport. It's a true partnership and it can only take NHRA to many levels up from where it is today."

According to Compton, who took over as NHRA president prior to the 2000 season, the NHRA is second only to NASCAR in the North American motor sports pecking order.

"I think (this agreement) shows the strength and the power of NHRA and the people at Powerade and Coca-Cola were smart enough to figure out the opportunities that exist out there," he said. "We're the fastest growing motor sport; we're a clear number two, and we're very excited about our future."