Passing Thoughts – Daytona 500
While wondering what might have been for souvenir sales if that 88 car had passed just one more last night…
Best sponsor story … has to be Jamie Mac and Bass Pro Shops. BPS has been hanging with the Earnhardt brand since its association with Dale, Sr. And while Martin Truex acquitted himself admirably on the track, you’ve got to guess they were wondering about the brand fit. Then Truex leaves and Earnhardt, Ganassi, et al bring in …Jamie McMurray for the 1 car. Really?
Jamie isn’t exactly what you’d call the template persona for the outdoor life. His look, his speech, his body language all speak “city boy” not “good ol boy.”
So for him to stand in Daytona’s Victory Circle and thank Bass Pro Shops, among others, for “taking a chance” on him .. well, congrats to Jamie on more than one level. And congrats to Bass Pro Shops for taking a chance on a good ol’ Missouri boy, even if he don’t seem like one o’ them country fellas.
A sponsor mystery … afoot? Am I the only one out of the loop as to what happened with Earnhardt, Jr. and Mountain Dew? Looks like they’ve completely disappeared in favor of AMP. No detail on the car, nothing on the fire suit (OK, I didn’t look THAT close), and no verbal mentions; everything was about the “National Guard, AMP Energy Drink Impala.”
No big deal. It makes sense for Pepsi to stick with a single brand where somebody as iconic as Jr. is concerned. It just all seems kind of mysterious, that’s all.
Still waiting … For GoDaddy.com to figure out how to connect Mark Martin to its babe-splashed, bawdy image. Martin is certainly the prototypical “go daddy,” running with the kids at 50-something. But he’s also the consummate wholesome spokesdaddy.
Then again, he made the Viagra sponsorship work, so maybe something’s in the, um, pipeline.
On the other end of the sponsor-match scale … Matt Kenseth might turn out to be perfect for Crown Royal’s “moderation” campaign and tone.
Kenseth a.) seems like the kind of guy who might offer you a Crown Royal if you stop by for a visit; and b.) seems like the kind of guy who would offer to drive you home if you had one too many.
Plus, for some reason, this year that car looks awesome.
Worst broadcast oversight … had to be the Fox crew’s complete flip-off of Robert Richardson, Jr. The kid ran a very nice race. Stayed out of the way. Didn’t cause any untoward problems (much better than can be said for certain “veteran” types).
And when he got caught up in Kasey Kahne’s mess at the end of the race, Waltrip, McReynolds and Joy couldn’t even be bothered to say his name, let alone acknowledge that he had 1.) done a pretty darned nice job for an untested rookie at Daytona; 2.) got wrecked through no fault of his own; and 3.) deserved a heck of a lot better.
I don’t like to criticize broadcast crews. They work under enormous pressure, and on balance do amazing work. And I know it was a busy, crazy time of a long race.
But sometimes the error is egregious and unfair.
Luckily his sponsor, Mahindra Tractors, was well-enough identified on the car that it was readable even when the thing was on the wrecker.
Speaking of sponsor identification … I wonder if Red Bull Racing is wishing they would have slapped the Red Bull logo on Scott Speed’s hood instead of …um, whatever that was.
Great work by Speed, getting himself out front and, incredibly, staying there for something like 18 laps. Major TV time, including several shots of …um, whatever that was on the hood.
Congratulations to Sprint … for getting themselves right in the middle of the political correctness wars.
The “seeking Jimmie Johnson” commercial is pretty darned clever, right up until the announcer almost has to spit himself to enunciate the family’s excitement over finally finding Jimmie. “Oh my goshhhhhhhhh,” indeed.
It’s been said already today … but Toyota knocked it out of the park with its new commercial. Kyle Busch in kittens and bunnies is locked-in humor. But Joey Logano – the gamer-aged youngster in the Toyota driver stable – as the reluctant avatar for the mid-30′s gamer? Genius.
Finally, I don’t think I really saw this… Truex and the NAPA and Truex crew lip synching show tunes?
