[The Dude]

NASCAR.COM - BAM Racing, Microsoft deal showcasing small business - Mar 26, 2008

Originally Posted by NASCAR.com

According to a blog posting on the company Web site from Eric Ligman, Microsoft U.S. senior manager of small business community engagement, Microsoft is heading to NASCAR with BAM Racing, and it's happening this weekend. That's BIG Tech.

Alright, so let me see if I follow this correctly... Yates racing is putting on a tremendous effort, trying to salvage the season and trying to get some amount of sponsorship deal with anyone at all, going so far as to have teams running in the top ten at times (a great accomplishment for a team with no sponsor) only to be passed up for BAM RACING?????

I know the 49 car and BAM aren't bad at all, but come on, we all know that Yates deserves a sponsor, probably more than most of the teams in NASCAR that DO have sponsors, but nope, apprently Kenny Schrader(sp?) is a better pick...

[LSC9901]

"Microsoft, through the Microsoft U.S. Small Business Team, has just become one of the sponsors of the No. 49 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team for the 2008 season"

Exactly what is the deal ? Maybe they aren't spending as much as one might think.

[jks812]

Maybe Yates didn't know this deal was a possibility and Bam did. Maybe Bam pursued this and Yates didn't. Maybe someone inside Bam knew about this and nobody in Yates did. Maybe they not willing to spend enough for Yates but are for Bam. The reasons why Bam got this deal and not Yates are endless.

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by jks812

Maybe Yates didn't know this deal was a possibility and Bam did. Maybe Bam pursued this and Yates didn't. Maybe someone inside Bam knew about this and nobody in Yates did. Maybe they not willing to spend enough for Yates but are for Bam. The reasons why Bam got this deal and not Yates are endless.

Pretty much my point also.Hard to tell why they went with BAN versus Yates. Maybe someone within BAM knows someone within MS.

[BiscuitMan]

I was thinking the same thing about BAM Racing getting Microsoft to sponsor them. I really wonder if the PR people at Microsoft know what they are doing. You would think that Microsoft, which produces such quality products, would go for a truly "top notch" team. BAM Racing is not one of the greatest threats in NASCAR.

Now, this morning I hear a confirmation that BAM Racing will switch from Dodge to Toyota this weekend, possible using support from Bill Davis Racing. Maybe even using their car. (I hope they get the decal on correctly) Didn't we get the idea that Bill Davis Racing was not all that secure either. Wasn't Robby Gordon looking at purchasing or merging with Bill Davis at preseason? So, this Microsoft thing really perplexes me.

[LSC9901]

I'll just point out again that MS is "one of the sponsors". No doubt they will be a big decal but how big and for how long ???

[Measure]

Yeah, reading the updates over at jayski, it looks like Microsoft is primary sponsor for only a single race, and merely an "Associate" sponsor the rest of the season.

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by BiscuitMan

I was thinking the same thing about BAM Racing getting Microsoft to sponsor them. I really wonder if the PR people at Microsoft know what they are doing. You would think that Microsoft, which produces such quality products, would go for a truly "top notch" team. BAM Racing is not one of the greatest threats in NASCAR.

Now, this morning I hear a confirmation that BAM Racing will switch from Dodge to Toyota this weekend, possible using support from Bill Davis Racing. Maybe even using their car. (I hope they get the decal on correctly) Didn't we get the idea that Bill Davis Racing was not all that secure either. Wasn't Robby Gordon looking at purchasing or merging with Bill Davis at preseason? So, this Microsoft thing really perplexes me.

Now, that made me chuckle! Any time you use "Microsoft" and "quality" in the same sentence, it's gotta be a joke or a pun.

FYI this was posted yesterday at ThatsRacing.com:

BAM Racing has been a busy place over the past few days as the team has completed switching its No. 49 cars from Dodges to Toyotas.
“It has been a thrash,” BAM general manager Eddie Jones said Wednesday.
“We were at Caraway (Speedway) shaking everything down today.” Caraway Speedway is in Asheboro, N.C.
Microsoft Small Business will be the team’s primary sponsor for several races and an associate sponsor for the rest of the season.
BAM will lease Toyota engines from Bill Davis Racing. BAM and BDR have not merged, Jones said, “but we are talking to see if there are other things we can do together to make it good for both of us.”

If you remember, BAM was the organization that came up with that unique marketing idea to raffle off a full sponsor spot on their car for $4995 before the season started.

Beth Ann and Tony Morgenthau are investment bankers, so it's likely they have lots of contacts in fortune 500 companies, inside or otherwise.

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by The Dude

NASCAR.COM - BAM Racing, Microsoft deal showcasing small business - Mar 26, 2008




Alright, so let me see if I follow this correctly... Yates racing is putting on a tremendous effort, trying to salvage the season and trying to get some amount of sponsorship deal with anyone at all, going so far as to have teams running in the top ten at times (a great accomplishment for a team with no sponsor) only to be passed up for BAM RACING?????

I know the 49 car and BAM aren't bad at all, but come on, we all know that Yates deserves a sponsor, probably more than most of the teams in NASCAR that DO have sponsors, but nope, apprently Kenny Schrader(sp?) is a better pick...

Ford Racing needs to spend some bucks and other things recruiting owners or they're gonna become a one-shop manufacturer. At Jayski, the total Blue Oval teams comes to a grand total of 10: 8 full time and 2 part time. This is how they're broken down:

1. Roush Fenway Racing (5 full time)
   1. #6 - Ragan
   2. #16 - Biffle
   3. #17 - Kenseth
   4. #26 - McMurray
   5. #99 - Edwards
2. Wood Brothers (1 full time)
   1. #21 - Elliott/Wood/Ambrose
3. Yates Racing (2 full time)
   1. #28 - Kvapil (was #8
   2. #38 - Gilliland
4. JTG Racing (an offshoot of Woods - 1 part time)
   1. #47 - Ambrose
5. Said/Simo (close ties to Roush - 1 part time)
   1. #60 - Said

On the other hand

• Toyota has 11 full time teams plus 3 part time teams
• Dodge has 12 full time teams plus 3 part time teams
• Chevy has 15 full time teams plus 7 part time teams

Net: Ford's bleeding profusely .. hemorrhaging soon without significant First Aid .. can still survive but will need significant transfusions of life giving blood.

If I were a sponsor looking to spend some bucks in NASCAR, why would I want to spend them on team whose manufacturer is approaching critical health conditions?

[BiscuitMan]

Originally Posted by Racer Duck

Now, that made me chuckle! Any time you use "Microsoft" and "quality" in the same sentence, it's gotta be a joke or a pun.

I knew I would get a pungent remark from someone for my statement of "quality". I am like most everyone else. We are forced to use what's compatible, and Microsoft has positioned themselves in the market place so well that you can't avoid them.

Now, is there going to be "quality" in the switch to Toyota by BAM Racing. From your quote, sounds like everything on the car will stay the same except the engine. That means, to me, they are expecting more horsepower. Kenny Schrader is a fenesse driver. I don't know that he can handle more horsepower.

[LSC9901]

Originally Posted by Racer Duck

Now, that made me chuckle! Any time you use "Microsoft" and "quality" in the same sentence, it's gotta be a joke or a pun.

Can you say Internet Explorer ???

Not funny

[WestCoast]

I'm not surprised, Yates has been in a tailspin for years, this is just another example of poor management and a lack of initiative in today's aggressive and competitive business environment.
BAM got rewarded for doing the opposite.

Some of these teams need to hire a professional marketing firm before it's to late.

[Fireball]

Originally Posted by WestCoast

Some of these teams need to hire a professional marketing firm before it's to late.

Most teams, if not all of them, have a staff and a marketing consultant searching for sponsors all the time. The Charlotte area loaded with marketing research firms that find sponsors for the teams. They do their research for finders fee, hoping to gain full contracts.

What surprises me is that there are very few teams that are able to get a sponsor for their car for the full year. A good example is Roush. You never know whose going to sponsor their cars from week to week. Hendrick, DEI, Ganassi, Bill Davis etc. seem to have the big ones in hand. The days are gone where there used to be the STP Dodge, Goodwrench Chevy and the Texaco Ford. We call cars by their number now: 24, 48, 88 --- Oh, you know what I mean.

[Team Yates]

Originally Posted by WestCoast

I'm not surprised, Yates has been in a tailspin for years, this is just another example of poor management and a lack of initiative in today's aggressive and competitive business environment.
BAM got rewarded for doing the opposite.

Some of these teams need to hire a professional marketing firm before it's to late.

Did you ever stop to think about the fact that it cost ALOT of money to sponsor a car these days? With the way the economy is right now, not even the big companies want to "part" with that kind of money. Not to mention that a few big companies are under somebody elses umbrella.

[WestCoast]

Originally Posted by Team Yates

Did you ever stop to think about the fact that it cost ALOT of money to sponsor a car these days?

Sure did... and if BAM can do it, Yates should as well. I've followed Yates for years, from the power house that they used to be to where they are today, so the emphasis is on them to get the lead-out and be more aggressive in pursuing a sponsor or just fade away.
I would suggest giving Microsoft's arch rival a call "Apple" or "Google" or "Yahoo".