• Loading stock data...
Sunday, September 14, 2025
Tuned In is Almost Sold Out! Limited Tickets Remain!
exclusive
Marketing

NASCAR Drops Title Sponsors From Crown Jewel Events

  • The 2020 season finale will now be known as the “NASCAR Championship Race – Phoenix.”
  • Move follows NASCAR’s broader shift away from traditional partnership strategy this season.
Photo Credit: NASCAR

NASCAR and Phoenix Raceway have jointly announced a new race logo and branding strategy for its championship race this season, the first step in NASCAR’s long-term plan to regionalize the marketing and promotional strategy behind the championship race. 

With the league’s season finale taking place at Phoenix Raceway for the first time in the track’s history, there will no longer be an entitlement sponsor. Previously known as the Bluegreen Vacations 500, the race will now be called the “NASCAR Championship Race – Phoenix.”

The Championship Race in Phoenix on November 8 will be one of NASCAR’s three “crown jewel” events in 2020 that will not have any entitlement sponsors. The other two are the All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 16 and the Daytona 500, which took place on February 16.

In recent years, NASCAR has begun focusing on creating a unique, region-specific strategy for its championship race that can be flexible for different markets should it decide to move the event to other markets in the future.

“It was almost three years ago when we kind of went through a full-brand refresh,” Peter Jung, NASCAR’s senior vice president of marketing, told Front Office Sports. “That started with getting grounded in the essence of the NASCAR brand and really – what is our brand book?”

The new look is also meant for NASCAR to create a more specific aura around its championship weekend to make it stand out from other events.

NASCAR’s decision to host the 2020 championship race without a sponsor has been a few years in the making, Jung said. The league has evolved significantly in its 72-year history, and along the way, seen numerous changes to its IP, identity, logos, and designs, Jung added.

With NASCAR’s long history, there was never any shortage of logos. To Jung, an abundance was brought into existence without many major purposes. 

For several decades, NASCAR had a traditional partnership strategy which included title sponsors. Monster Energy was most recently the entitlement sponsor for NASCAR’s premier series, but is now only known as the Cup Series. Now, the league looked to 2020 to be a new chapter within the Cup Series and its four premier partners: Busch Beer, Coca-Cola, Geico, and Xfinity.

“This is a very different approach for NASCAR,” Jung said. “But what we wanted to do was celebrate and take the opportunity of this championship race that’s been held for years in Miami across the country to Phoenix. It’s to a fully transformed track-and-field experience in a city that’s completely embracing NASCAR and the championship weekend, and probably one of our most progressive tracks in terms of technology and the fan experience.”

READ MORE: NASCAR Retains Barstool To Fuel Fan Enthusiasm Ahead of Daytona

Before the 2019 Bluegreen Vacations 500, NASCAR and Bluegreen Vacations announced a multi-year partnership agreement. While the vacation-ownership company’s race entitlement is no longer connected to the Phoenix race, it served as the entitlement sponsor for the qualifying races at the 2020 Daytona 500. Otherwise, there have not been any changes to the Bluegreen Vacations-NASCAR relationship.

“It’s difficult to put into words the level of excitement we feel here at Phoenix Raceway and across the entire community for this NASCAR season and what is to come between now and November 8,” Julie Giese, president of Phoenix Raceway, said in a statement. “I’m incredibly proud that our facility, and the State of Arizona, will be hosting this year’s NASCAR Championship Weekend.”

When looking to develop the new intellectual property for the All-Star and Championship race, respectively, NASCAR sought the help of RARE Design, its creative agency partner. The agency’s founder, Rodney Richardson, is a fan of stock-car racing with a knowledge and passion for the sport, Jung said. 

Past years have seen the Hattiesburg, Miss.,-based agency use “Big Bill,” the typeface seen in the circuit’s logo and named after its founder, Bill France, Sr. It also helped develop a systematic visual identity and a brand book – while maintaining other features like the chiseled forms and racing bars unique to the league’s bar logo.

“We’re getting into that Southwest look and feel,” Jung said. “What we want to convey is that NASCAR is crowning a champion for the national series in Phoenix, which is a destination and an incredible, different kind of experience.”

The schedule and title sponsor changes are only the latest in NASCAR’s rebranding efforts. Ahead of the Daytona 500, NASCAR released “I Am Nascar,” a new advertising campaign to help the brand rediscover a sense of purpose. It was done in collaboration with both RARE Design and 77 Ventures, NASCAR’s ad agency collective.

READ MORE: NASCAR’s New Sponsorship Model Speeding Along

The fan reception to NASCAR’s recent branding endeavors has been positive thus far, Jung said. He admits that past advertising and marketing campaigns often tried to be too clever or sophisticated in some areas. They never performed well with the consumer because it did not accurately portray the essence of the league and its brand, he said. 

But now, he believes that NASCAR enthusiasts can join the league in celebrating both its past and future in 2020.

“NASCAR, no surprise, is a very unique and different sporting experience and community,” he added. “We want to be proud and boastful about what that is and not try to be like others, but be ourselves and be proud of that.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

exclusive

Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman, Rob Dauster to Lead On3’s College Hoops..

Goodman previously worked for ESPN, CBS Sports, and Stadium.
exclusive

FanDuel TV Renews Michelle Beadle’s ‘Run It Back’

‘Run It Back’ will return for a fourth season.
exclusive

Zohran Mamdani Blasts World Cup Ticket Prices: ‘FIFA Is Becoming the Scalper’

The NYC mayoral candidate wants FIFA to cap resale prices at face value.
NFL Congress
exclusive

College Sports ‘House of Cards’: Republicans, Lobbyists Work to Secure Votes to..

Several House Republicans criticized the SCORE Act on social media.

Featured Today

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 19: A detailed view of the MLB Debut patch on the jersey of Patrick Monteverde #44 of the Miami Marlins prior to game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on April 19, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Tiny Jersey Patch at the Center of the MLB Rookie Card..

Autographed cards containing a piece of baseball history have upended the market.
September 11, 2025

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Could Set More NFL Ratings Records

Fox will nationally televise Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
September 10, 2025

ESPN’s ‘MNF’ Ratings Up 8% As NFL Surges to Strong Start

ESPN posts its second-best Week 1 “Monday Night Football” audience.
Sep 7, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills fans react during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium.
September 9, 2025

As Bills Ascend, Their Next Frontier Lies in Canada

Buffalo and the powerful Canadian entity MLSE come together in a new pact.

How Rolex Paved the Way for Luxury’s Love Affair With Tennis

“It’s almost impossible to think about tennis without thinking about Rolex.”
Athlos
May 4, 2025

Nike Wants to Pull Off the First Women’s Sub-4:00 Mile

Experts speak on whether Nike’s “moonshot” is realistic or a gimmick.
Jul 19, 2024; Phoenix, Ariz., United States; Sheryl Swoopes hosts a WBNA All-Star brunch in honor of her former teammate, Nikki McCray Penson, at Thea in Phoenix on July 19, 2024
May 12, 2025

Sheryl Swoopes: A’ja Wilson Shoe Campaign Shows Nike Sea Change

Nike released the Air Swoopes in 1995.
Sponsored

How World Series Champ Dexter Fowler Became a Premier League Team Owner

Dexter Fowler discusses navigating retirement and embracing new roles as an owner & investor.
Apr 12, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; MLB umpire Ron Kulpa (46) calls a third strike during a game between the Cleveland Guardians and the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field
May 4, 2025

Pro Refs Get Offered Free Lasik for Better Calls. Some Took It

Some pro officials have sprung for the offer for free corrective surgery.
January 15, 2025

State Farm Cancels Planned Super Bowl Ad Amid California Fires Controversy

State Farm’s Super Bowl ad last year featured Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito.
Nov 25, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; From left: Scott Van Pelt, Ryan Clark, Jason Kelce and Marcus Spears on the ESPN Monday Night Football Countdown set before the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium.
December 17, 2024

A ‘Wave’ of Sports Content Is Coming to TikTok

The next generation is consuming sports in a different way.
Apr 7, 2022; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Rory McIlroy (left) and Brooks Koepka set up to putt on no. 9 during the first round of The Masters golf tournament.
exclusive
November 27, 2024

PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf TV ‘Showdown’ Will Pay Out $10M Crypto..

Two golfers from each tour will face off in Las Vegas.