NASCAR AND MOBILE network operator Sprint, owned by the Sprint-Nextel Corporation, have signed a three-year extension agreement for Sprint to remain the entitlement partner of the sport’s premier series – the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
The extension keeps NASCAR and Sprint as partners through 2016 and is valued at around $80m per year by Frontloaded, a small uplift on the current 10-year agreement for $750m, which was set to expire in 2013.
Although some NASCAR team deals were renewed at a discount earlier this season, audience figures were up for the 2011 series, which should have enhanced NASCAR’s negotiating position.
As Dan Hesse, CEO of the Kansas City-based Sprint, said of the new deal: “NASCAR fans are great customers who reward us with their loyalty.”
Named the Nextel Cup Series from 2004 to 2007 and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series thereafter, Sprint has activated the sponsorship in a number of ways, including the introduction of NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile, an exclusive app that allows Sprint customers to access live NASCAR action on their handheld devices.
The company has also promoted the “Sprint Experience “mobile marketing display which entertains more than 500,000 fans each year at NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events across the United States.
Sprint also introduced a fan favorite, the “Miss Sprint Cup” in 2007, which sees three attractive female fans act as ambassadors for the series. Miss Sprint Cup currently boasts more than 1.2 million followers in the social media space on Facebook and Twitter.
The agreement coincides with NASCAR’s Five-Year Industry Action Plan, which is designed to help grow the sport and reach new audiences.