sponsorships | nashvillepost.com

Baker Curb Racing on life support

Larry Woody report that the only Nashville-area NASCAR team, Baker Curb Racing, is suspending operations because of a lack of sponsorship.

Baker said that if he could secure $1 million in sponsorship funds — considered a bare minimum for a team in NASCAR’s second-tier series — Baker Curb Racing could win this year’s Nationwide Series championship. “This is a Super Bowl team, and we could bring home the championship to Tennessee,” he said. “Look what we were able to do last year with a team that was only three-quarters funded: Greg Biffle almost won several races for us. We were that close.”

SEE ALSO: Details of Baker Curb's struggles to get to proper funding in 2010

Jan 31, 2011 7:10 AM

Firestone mulls IndyCar exit

The deadline for Firestone executives to renew their contract to supply the IndyCar Series with their tires passed last week and officials from both organizations are scrambling to come to a new agreement.

Neither Bernard nor Firestone's Al Speyer would reveal particulars of the discussions, but it's believed to be tied to the Nashville-based company's overall marketing objectives. "We have to look and compare all of our options, and motor sports is one of the many options out there," said Speyer, the executive director of Bridgestone Americas Motorsports. "Maybe there are too many (options)."

Jan 5, 2011 10:24 AM

Franklin American extends Bob Hope Classic sponsorship

Franklin American Mortgage has committed to a three-year, $1.5 million sponsorship of the Bob Hope Classic golf tournament in Palm Springs, Calif. The deal builds on a last-minute commitment by Franklin American for the event early this year and makes the lender one of the more prominent backers of the Classic, which is still hunting for a title sponsor.

Dec 8, 2010 7:50 AM

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Dollar General back with Kyle Busch in '11

Discount retailer Dollar General will sponsor the Toyota Tundra driven by Kyle Busch in five NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races next year. The partnership builds on a relationship between the two that started several years ago.

Nov 12, 2010 1:48 PM

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Racing team lands sponsor for rest of season

Baker Curb Racing, the Nashville NASCAR Nationwide Series team, has secured a sponsorship deal with Virginia-based freight matching service Getloaded for the remainder of the 2010 season. Baker Curb earlier this season lost its biggest backer due to changes in tobacco marketing laws.

Sep 13, 2010 8:03 AM

ACM adds marketing muscle

The Academy of Country Music has brought in house the Cornerstone Marketing team it has worked with for a decade. Teresa George and Amy Cannon will continue to work on the internal branding and promotional outreach for the ACM. In recent years, they've secured deals with Dr. Pepper, Cover Girl and Southwest Airlines, among others. SEE ALSO: The Country Music Association's similar move of a year ago

Aug 25, 2010 7:44 AM

Bridgestone extends NFL deal

Nashville-based Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations has reached a new agreement for a five-year extension of its integrated marketing sponsorship deal with the National Football League. It's an extension of a three-year deal that began in 2007, branding Bridgestone as the "Official Tire of the National Football League." Under the agreement, BATO and Bridgestone will have numerous promotion opportunities, including title sponsorship of the Super Bowl halftime shows for Super Bowls XLV-XLIX. "Having this relationship with the NFL has already proven to be a tremendous asset in elevating the Bridgestone brand's consumer awareness and visibility," said John Baratta, president of the U.S. and Canada Consumer Replacement Tire Sales division. "Continuing this sponsorship is a key component of our sports marketing strategy and an incredible opportunity for us to reach a highly influential audience of sports fans."

Jul 15, 2010 1:32 PM

Bridgestone turns to VU for more value from sports sponsorships

The students enrolled in this summer's Accelerator boot camp at Vanderbilt's Owen School will spend a good bit of their time devising new strategies to help Bridgestone reach more customers through its sports sponsorships, which include the Super Bowl and the NHL. Other organizations who will benefit from the students' brain power are the HIMSS Medical Banking Project, the Nashville Music Business Council, auto maker Lexus, music start-up MyWerx and the Oasis Center.

Jun 15, 2010 7:57 AM

ConAgra hooks up with CMA Fest

Food producer ConAgra has come on board as a sponsor of the CMA Music Festival, which will plug in the amps on Thursday. The company is teaming with singer Jamie O'Neal and will host an open-mic contest for fans.

Jun 7, 2010 11:30 AM

New law has local race team hunting for new sponsor

Baker Curb Racing, which is fielding Greg Biffle in the Nationwide Series this year, is about to say goodbye to its biggest sponsor, Red Man Moist Snuff, because of a new law banning the marketing of smokeless tobacco in sports.

"Before it was more about personal freedom over government intervention. So, I'm one of the guys that has taken a bullet in the head over the new law."

May 28, 2010 10:57 AM