Comments on: Jeff Gordon Sounds Off on NASCAR’s Branding Problem

By: PoweroftheP00f

PoweroftheP00f — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 17:27:45 +0000

As a Jeff Gordon fan growing up, I WAS a Hendrick homeboy. Gordon was always the one I was rooting for to win, but I also built a lifelong love for Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch because of that mid-2000's Hendrick team. If Gordon crashed out, then I was rooting for Johnson or Busch. As time went on, the two juggernauts of Gordon and Johnson sort of drove the fan bases apart, but even now in my 30's I still have a special place in my heart for Hendrick Motorsports, and the drivers that came from them.

By: James DB

James DB — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 17:20:52 +0000

In reply to Skillscapers.

Exactly. I enjoy both teams and am heavily a fan of 23XI. Even if my driver were to leave, I’d still be a fan because of the brand 23XI has built. I love what trackhouse is trying to do as a brand.

It’s at least 6x more harder to sell a brand nowadays because you have 6x the amount of advertising outlets. I don’t care for Brad, Buscheaur is ok, but I like what Brad is doing for the RFK brand (and resurrecting Roush).

By: Micah Williams

Micah Williams — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 17:18:26 +0000

I think one of the big factors in this is that the sponsorship money is not as readily available as it was back in the early 2000s. Teams want their sponsors to be connected to the teams, because if they become connected to the driver and leave when the driver leaves, that is bad for the teams and threatens their survival. Take a look at SHI right now losing Busch beer when Kevin Harvick leaves. If the sponsor had been more connected to SHR than the driver that might not be happening.

By: Beyond the Booth

Beyond the Booth — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 16:53:06 +0000

You have become my main NASCAR news source. You do an amazing job covering the sport and make the content entertaining. As an announcer at a few different dirt tracks, I crave great news and content and you provide that!! Keep it up

By: RedShiftRider

RedShiftRider — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 15:55:41 +0000

Man, and just like that, Brad K is like a full-fledged, respectable and established team owner. Love it.

By: Austin

Austin — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 15:53:17 +0000

I personally love how Denny is going about how he’s acting. “hey, i beat your favorite driver” was such a good line in that moment to get people to have a reaction.

It just seems he’s the only one trying to get personality back in the sport. Even Kyle Busch has lost a little of that attitude that made everyone have an opinion about him.

The drivers are what made the sport popular in the late 90s, early 2000s. I’ve known plenty of people who never watched a nascar race in their life, but knew the names Earnhardt, Stewart, Gordan, and so on.

Yes the teams themselves probably would like their brands to be at the forefront of peoples thoughts when they think about the sport, but at the end of the day its the drivers who push the sport forward and give it life. Dale Sr. Was a master at that and this sport could use someone like him right now

By: DB RD

DB RD — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 15:45:08 +0000

I don’t think teams can do too much to get the casual fan behind them without an identifiable driver being the face of it, but I do think car numbers are huge. People will attach to a favourite driver and then one way to keep them interested once their favourite driver steps away is to keep the car they were in strong afterwards.

By: Jackie Lowe

Jackie Lowe — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 15:33:54 +0000

In reply to boilerdawg2009. I have been Gordon fan since the beginning of his then Busch racing. Followed the number 24 car to become Chase fan. But I also pull for all four HMS drivers. By the way I’m from sw Mich just north of Indiana border. Ryan Newman grew up close to my house. Was also fan of his.

By: Drewster327

Drewster327 — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 15:04:16 +0000

To be fair, i think brad keselowski has done a great job at branding RFK as a team, when you think about RFK you think of a chrome number and the three pillars on the side, it’s uniquely RFK and I if you read most comments from fans when RFK does good or one of their driver wins they are excited to see RFK as a team being successful

By: Mike Davis

Mike Davis — Fri, 20 Oct 2023 14:52:59 +0000

I believe that Jeff Gordon is implying that building up the team brands will allow the teams the opportunity to get/hold sponsorship deals for their cars regardless of the drivers. It would hypothetically create funding for the entire “team” to use for the betterment of the “team.” From driver to driver the sponsorship revenue they can bring has to be vastly different. I.e. Chase Elliot to Michael McDowell. But, maybe the teams would be able to offset that difference by having their individual brands bring in more revenue which isn’t necessarily dependent upon the driver(s).