Auto makers know NASCAR exposure impacts sales

Surprise Daytona winner Ryan Newman rode a Dodge to victory Sunday in the 50th running of the Great American Race. Robert Laberge/Getty Images for NASCAR

Maybe you don't have a sticker on the back of your pickup with Calvin urinating on a Chevy or Ford logo. However, that didn't keep you from honking your horn in celebration when you saw one on the truck in front of you after the race.

Believe. It still matters which brand wins NASCAR races. The old cliché -- What wins on Sunday, sells on Monday -- isn't exactly broken, but it could use a tuneup. Perhaps a replacement could be What wins on Sunday, sells someday, as NASCAR results have become more about building positive brand awareness. Or maybe the slogan could take a reverse swing: Whatever crashes, burns and blows an engine on Sunday, won't sell at all.

NASCAR has been manufacturing quite a bit of news for fans caring about brands of auto makers. There's been good news for just about everybody, whether you bleed Ford blue or knot a Chevy bowtie.

Dodge fans got the best news. Not only did a Dodge win the 50th running of the Daytona 500, but also the outfit came in 1-2 and captured six of the first eight spots. Almost immediately came the news that Dodge had signed new contracts with two of its better teams, Penske and Ganassi, both of which had been rumored headed to Toyota during the last two years..

And while that was perhaps bad news for the Toyota camp, the strong showing by Joe Gibbs Racing and the other Toyota teams at Daytona certainly overshadowed the final results. The broadcasters talked about the Toyota Camry during the entire Daytona broadcast as Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch and even Dave Blaney made it obvious that the manufacturer will win a race in 2008, its second Cup season. When Toyota does win, the victory will irritate many die-hard NASCAR fans who have no desire to see a foreign car maker compete, let alone do well, on the Cup circuit.

And even though the Chevy teams didn't finish strong on Sunday, they produced plenty of news while NASCAR was camped out at Daytona for a couple of weeks. First and foremost, Dale Earnhardt Jr. proved not only is he still NASCAR's most popular driver, but also a force to be reckoned since switching to Hendrick Motorsports. Dale Jr. a Daytona qualifying race and the Budweiser Shootout. Hendrick teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson might not have done as well as they'd have liked in the Daytona 500, but everyone expects them to contend this season.

Most importantly for Chevy fans was the news that, despite record losses in 2007, General Motors plans to continue its strong commitment to NASCAR. Chevy drivers have won the last three championships. "Obviously, the last racing we would drop would be NASCAR, 'cause it's still the best return for us," John Middlebrook told The New York Times. Middlebrook is the vice president for global sales and marketing for General Motors.

Even Ford, which won just seven Cup races in 2007 as its team struggled with NASCAR's Car of Tomorrow concept, is trying to make a stand.

Before Daytona, when the media went on its annual tour of shops in North Carolina, Edsel Ford II showed up for a news conference at Roush Fendway Racing. Roush is the Ford standard carrier with five teams, while Edsel Ford is a member of the manufacturer's board of directors and the great-grandson of Henry Ford. Roush hasn't performed well at Daytona the past couple of seasons -- but the team can't wait for this week's race in California, which Matt Kenseth has won the past two years.

"People have wanted to write us off, to say we couldn't compete in the marketplace or on the race track," said Edsel. "I'm here to tell you one thing today: Don't underestimate our resolve."

Those who think NASCAR races don't have an impact on models sales just aren't paying attention. Why would Chevy have dropped the Monte Carlo from Cup racing after last season for the Impala SS? Why would Dodge switch from the Avenger to the Charger? Why are there rumors that NASCAR will change the rules of the Nationwide Series so that the Ford Mustang and the Chevy Camaro could race? Simple, manufacturers know that NASCAR exposure impacts sales.

Perhaps those doubters missed the news from Daytona of Ryan Newman's million-dollar bonus. Chrysler chairman and CEO Robert Nardelli visited the garage areas on Sunday morning in Daytona offering a million reasons for a Dodge victory, and Newman and team was glad to accept the bonus money after their win.

Dodge brand director Mike Accavitti says his company was happy to cough up the Daytona reward. While a victory in NASCAR's biggest race won't send sales through the roof, Accavitti says, the victory does boost morale at his company, pump up awareness of the Dodge brand among consumers and provide dealers another strong selling point.

"Anything or anytime we can get a Dodge Charger associated with fun and performance driving," Accavitti said, "then that is the kind of message that we want to get out there."

Of course, Accavitti could just send a message via bumper sticker, perhaps one that reads, "I'd rather push an old Dodge than drive a new Chevy."