On Track
America’s fastest-growing sport—NASCAR—is helping the U.S. armed services drive up their recruiting numbers.
By Theresia Yetman

“Gentlemen, start your engines.”

These are the most famous words in auto racing, heard by hundreds of thousands of fans every weekend in NASCAR country. What happens at the racetrack before those words are uttered is something every race fan should see: Crews and drivers work in harmony like a well-tuned orchestra preparing for its greatest symphony. 

But this apparent harmony is deceptive. The competition is fierce; only 43 positions are available in each of NASCAR’s almost 40 Winston Cup races. Once Friday afternoon’s qualifying session is over, those who didn’t make the field load their cars into haulers and go home. 

At last, come Sunday, drivers zip up their fire suits, don their helmets, and strap themselves into the cockpit of their 3,400-pound stock cars. The crowd comes to its feet and the national anthem is sung. Those famous words are finally voiced, and with the flip of a switch cued by the driver, each motor generates nearly 800 horsepower. Engines roar like lions ready for the kill. Fans remain on their feet, hushed, waiting for the majestic thunder of a Winston Cup car revving up to take a driver on the ride of a lifetime.

Now, military fans of NASCAR’s Winston Cup Series and the Busch Grand National Series have even more reason to cheer: The armed services have taken an active role in NASCAR. The Army and the Army National Guard sponsor Winston Cup cars, with Jerry Nadeau the official driver of the GoArmy car and Todd Bodine piloting the Army National Guard car. The Air Force is an associate sponsor of driver Ricky Rudd’s car. In the Busch Grand National Series, Bobby Hamilton Jr. is best known for his Team Marines car. And in late May, the Navy and FitzBradshaw Racing announced a nine-race partnership, with hopes of a full-time partnership next year, as Casey Atwood became the latest to wear the U.S. Navy’s blue and gold in the Busch Grand National Series. (Until recently, fans of NASCAR’s Craftsman Truck Series were proud to root for Navy-sponsored Jon Wood. But after seeing the tremendous payoffs from its partnership with that team, the Navy has opted to sponsor a team in the much more popular and visible Busch series.)

Sponsoring a NASCAR team is not easy, nor is it cheap. According to Street and Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal, these five branches of the military will spend nearly $28 million this year on sponsorship programs. But despite the seemingly high cost of doing business in the auto racing industry, the combined budget spent on NASCAR sponsorship reflects only about 1 percent of the estimated $2.17 billion set aside for recruiting. And NASCAR sponsorship pays off, not only by bringing in new recuits but also by giving servicemembers something to cheer for. 

Why NASCAR? 

The five military branches sponsoring NASCAR drivers must recruit more than a quarter of a million soldiers a year, and recruiting specialists are under constant pressure to find new ways to meet recruiting goals. “You need to try new things to reach young men and women and their parents,” explains Maj. David Griesmer, public affairs officer for Marine Corps Recruiting Command. 

Lt. Col. Michael Jones, chief of the advertising and marketing branch for the Army National Guard, agrees: “Our mission is to provide 350,000 trained soldiers to do the fighting. How do you do that? You have to recruit them. How do you recruit them? You have to advertise. How do you do that? You can do a lot of different things that, once [you’ve paid for them, they’re] gone. Or you can do something that provides you with a partnership and direct advertising and outreach that provide you with a greater return.” 

The fastest-growing sport in the country, NASCAR’s popularity has skyrocketed over the last decade thanks to drivers such as the late Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, and current Winston Cup Champion Tony Stewart. Races now can be seen on Fox and NBC, with highlights appearing on various cable stations, such as FX, ESPN, Speed Channel, and others. NASCAR also is broadcast through the Armed Forces Television Network for those stationed outside the United States. 

Racers with military sponsors appreciate the military’s need to recruit, and NASCAR helps in those efforts: “You could spend $5 million on a 30-second commercial spot and not get nearly as much coverage as you do in one race—and we do this 36 times a year,” Nadeau explains.

“If they see the No. 25 Marines car up front or winning a race, they remember that,” says Hamilton. “When it comes down to [deciding to enlist], and if you’re a big NASCAR fan, who are you going to go with?” 

Perhaps not realizing NASCAR’s worldwide reach, many military officials have been surprised at the number of NASCAR fans stationed in the United States and abroad. “I don’t think we ever realized how many people in the Air Force are supporting NASCAR and the team,” says Chief Master Sgt. Randy Fuller. 

Lt. Gen. Dennis Cavin, head of the Army’s recruiting command, says NASCAR sponsorship is the best money he has ever spent. “Look at something like the Daytona 500, where the viewing population is 23 million. It’s difficult for me to find any other venue where I can run an Army commercial and get the viewership of something like NASCAR.”

This on-air exposure highlights not only the driver and crew, but also the sponsor. Extra exposure for a particular driver can mean a growing fan base; hard-core fans will stick by a favorite driver through thick and thin, and the military hopes to profit from those relationships. NASCAR’s fans are not only young men and women between the ages of 17 and 24—the range recruiters are looking to target— but also retired military personnel with children and nieces and nephews in the same age range. 

“Sailors related instantly to Jon Wood for his age [21], his talent, his pit crew’s talent, and the leadership ability Wood shows on the racetrack,” says Navy Lt. J.G.. Bill Danzi. “Sailors likewise are given leadership responsibilities at a young age.” The Navy is counting on another young gun, Atwood, to pick up where Wood left off. “I just hope I can help them in recruiting,” Atwood says. “Maybe I can relate to some of the people that they’re trying to recruit and help their numbers go up.”

Sponsorship dollars pay for much more than a logo painted on the side of a car. Sponsoring branches of the military set up interactive tents at various racetracks to provide a glimpse into life in the armed services. The Air Force even brings in a full-size f-16 for fans to see. 

“Our key message at the track is we’re trying to show the similarities between [NASCAR] and the Air Force,” says Fuller. “We’re trying to show that it takes teamwork and safety to make the mission go off complete, whether it’s Ricky Rudd finishing in the top 10 or an f-16 [pilot] out to do one of his missions.” The interactive tents are a sight to see—and to touch: Each tent includes a show car and high-tech gadgets for fans to play with. “It takes about three tractor-trailers to bring the whole exhibit in,” says Rudd. 

Mutual respect

The fun, excitement, and exposure of NASCAR don’t end at the racetrack. Through sponsorship agreements, drivers are required to make a certain number of appearances in the United States and across the globe. Hamilton visited Parris Island for a three-day boot camp of sorts. “They told us we were probably going to get yelled at for about five minutes,” he says of the experience. “And [we] did, but it just kept going on and on.” 

The boot-camp experience left an indelible mark on Hamilton and his crew—and inculcated a greater respect for Marines. But one of his favorite activities is when he gets to visit schools and speak to youngsters who are looking for direction in their lives. “You get to go out there and talk to these kids who are about to graduate and talk to them about little things they can do with their life,” Hamilton says. “It’s like you’re trying to help recruit. Somewhere along the line, [those kids might] be out there saving our butts like [the Marines] are today.” 

Atwood doesn’t yet know what adventures lie in store for him as the driver of the Navy car. But if his predecessor’s résumé is any indication, Atwood has a wild ride in store for him both on and off the track. Jon Wood rode with the Blue Angels and visited sailors aboard an aircraft carrier. “I can’t wait to get involved with some of the stuff we’re going to do with the Navy people,” says Atwood. “It’s going to be a lot of fun.” He also thinks NASCAR fans will be pleased with the affiliation. “I think they’re going to like the Navy car,” he says. 

As the driver of the Army car, Nadeau has visited bases in Afghanistan. He also visited injured and recovering former POWs from the recent war in Iraq, including Pvt. Jessica Lynch. Nadeau says the experience changed him. “It got me to learn a lot more about what the U.S. Army does for us,” he explains. “It was an unbelievable experience hanging out with the troops. When I got to Afghanistan, I was shocked at how many race fans there are [among the troops]. They had their magazines, they had their shirts and their hats ready to be signed.” 

At press time, Nadeau’s future on the track remained in question after a near-fatal crash in a practice run at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway in May. The GoArmy car will remain on the track through the season, with NASCAR veteran Mike Wallace at the wheel while Nadeau recovers from his injuries.

Todd Bodine’s Army National Guard car is adorned with the stars and stripes of the American flag. “Normally when you have a major corporation as a sponsor, you represent a product,” Bodine says. “But with the Guard, we feel like we represent people. We represent the men and women who serve and protect our country.” Bodine says his recent visit with soldiers injured in Afghanistan now receiving care at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C., has shown him what teamwork and dedication are all about. They’ve given him an extra incentive to greet the checkered flag first.

Before the start of each race, the Air Force conducts a flyover of F-16s. Racers usually are strapped into their cars by this point, with the exception of Ricky Rudd. “I don’t know of any other driver that tries to wait as long as they can to put on their helmet and cinch their head down to their Hans device because they want to see the flyovers,” says Rudd, one of many drivers with his own pilot’s license. “It gives you such a sense of patriotism when they come right over after the national anthem.”

Who’s winning?

There seems to be little doubt that these sponsorships create a win-win situation. Sponsors receive exposure beyond what they could receive from traditional advertising, drivers and teams gain millions of dollars from sponsors, and fans across the country feel a sense of patriotism as they root for a car with a different style of sponsor. Early figures suggest military sponsors are scoring big wins measured both by members recruited and by money saved in advertising through sponsorship. 

The similarities between NASCAR and members of the armed services are many. Troops are passionate about protecting their country and rooting for their favorite car and driver. Drivers are passionate about protecting their cars and getting to Victory Lane. They also are passionate about supporting the troops who support them. Through the sponsorships already in place, military and NASCAR representatives hope to make the world a safer and much more enjoyable place. It is a formula that drives each organization to win.