Sunoco, whatever that is

[colinspooky]

We British are terribly twee when it comes to mentioning a particular company on air, the BBC in particular because it has to remain impartial at all costs.

Not so in the States. Witness things like the Lucky Dog being sponsored by some company or other.

Anyway, has Sunoco handed out some cash recently? Whenever a car/truck pits, it no longer gets fuel or gas, it seems to only get Sunoco. This company already has the monopoloy on petrol, so why are the commentators mentioning it by name every time they can?

And it's not like this paid 'announcements' like this race is brought to you in part by etc etc. The Sunoco mentions seem to be pretty random, but mentioned all the same.

Can the commentators do deals with companies like that? I am not objecting to it in the slightest, just wondering if deals like this are done.

[RaceFanStan]

A fee for naming it the "Aaron's Lucky Dog" is paid to NASCAR by Aaron's Rental ...
Sunoco furnishes the racing fuel (extra high octane unleaded gasoline) @ all of the NASCAR races ...
no doubt NASCAR was compensated for awarding the contract to Sunoco.

As to the constant mention of the sponsors by the TV announcers,
the sponsors pay the TV Network so they will get exposure they desire,
it isn't the announcers choice to be promoters but the TV NETWORK that pays them. :s

NASCAR & the TV Networks are big business, it runs into millions of $$$$$. :eek:

[nigelred5]

It's in the contract as the official and exclusive race fuel supplier to Nascar that the announcers refer to it as Sunoco Race fuel. It was no different when Union 76 was the official supplier.

[BenRoethig]

Well, except for the fact 76 and its Conoco-Phillips syster brands are sold west of the Appalachians. Sunoco really doesn't like to stray to far from the Atlantic.

[JovialJooles]

To answer your question Colin, I agree, Sunoco is definitely getting more mentions this season than in previous years. Something must have been signed during the off season.

[muggle not]

"Every car and truck in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, NASCAR Busch Series, and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series uses Sunoco racing fuel exclusively and displays the Sunoco logo on both front quarter panels. In addition, the familiar Sunoco diamond logo is displayed in the entrance and exit areas of pit row. The Sunoco diamond logo is also displayed on drivers' uniforms, fuel cans, and team cars and trucks".

[Haulin'AssAndTurnin Left]

sponsorship is what make racing possible, maybe if we were alittle more in your face with this sort of thing here we wouldnt have racing series dying on their arses left and right.

[nigelred5]

Sunoco has been a major supplier of racing fuels for years. To be honest, I think they were also the only ones to step up to the plate with applicable racing fuel and distribution channels for the racing fuel when 76 bailed. As I recall, 76 was also resistant to switching to unleaded. NASCAR's traditional home and core market is also very relevant to Sunoco.

The Union76 brand has basically disappeared from this area, as has Conoco and Phillips. They basically concentrated the chevron and Texaco brands along the east coast. I haven't seen a Phillips66 station in probably 30 years and Chevron is generally associated with full service stations around here.

They do have stations in 24 states, but true, their core market is the Eastern Seaboard. NASCAR country :)

Last I saw, their stations cover something near 50% of the US population.

The mentions are just part of the contract. I know LOTS of people that work for Sunoco in PAfrom the refineries to corporate.

[muggle not]

Sunoco is one of the few oil companies that does not import any oil from outside the U.S.

[call_me_andrew]

As to the constant mention of the sponsors by the TV announcers,
the sponsors pay the TV Network so they will get exposure they desire,
it isn't the announcers choice to be promoters but the TV NETWORK that pays them. :s

NASCAR & the TV Networks are big business, it runs into millions of $$$$$. :eek:

When Fox started covering the races in 2001, they decided that they weren't going to name any of the sponsors unless they recieved a bonus. With the old TV package, cars would be identified by their sponsor (Bill Elliott drives the McDonalds' Ford, Dale Earnhardt drives the Goodwrench Chevy, etc). Fox started the trend of emphasizing the number over the sponor (the 9 car, the 3 car, etc.). They also stared the trend of not saying the name of the race. When ABC/ESPN covered the spring race at Atlanta in 2000, they called it the Cracker Barrel 500, 50 times during the race. In 2001, Fox used the race's offical name just 6 times during the race.

And for the record, I've never seen a Union 76 or Conaco-Phillips station, nor have I ever been west of the Appalachians.

[nigelred5]

That sure wasn't the case on the radio. MRN is constantly namong the sponsors, and I can hear the pitlane announcers saying, (the number 8 Budweiser Chevrolet is getting two rounds of wedge, an air pressure adjustment, 4 new Goodyear tires and two cans of Sunoco racing fuel and he's on the way in 14.3 seconds!) I actually listen to most of the races between May and September on the radio live because I'm generally out on the water almost all weekend. I only go back and watch the good ones.

call_me_andrew;
Dang dude, you must be a youngin' :) There used to be Phillips66 and Union76 stations everywhere around here. The only gasoliine my father would use other than Sunoco was 76 back in the day. Phillips66 were also big in the marine fuel business. I don't know that there was any fuel BUT Phillips66 on the Bay back in the 70's and 80's. Conoco is a different story. I've seen them, but not in this area.

I was shocked a few years ago when I saw a Sinclair station in North Dakota. I had thought that company had gone the way of it's mascot. All of their stations disappeared around here when I was a young kid.

[gary_580]

Anyway, has Sunoco handed out some cash recently? Whenever a car/truck pits, it no longer gets fuel or gas, it seems to only get Sunoco.

Sunoco provide the fuel so why wouldnt it get a mention??

You dont hear the commentators say "Tyres" its alway Goodyear tyres, same principle

[edv]

Oops! You slipped. They never say tyres in NASCAR, it's tires.

[colinspooky]

Sunoco provide the fuel so why wouldnt it get a mention??

You dont hear the commentators say "Tyres" its alway Goodyear tyres, same principle

Mentions of Sunoco are new and as I said right at the start, they are not formatted like other mentions. Seem almost random. Perhaps that's the intention, or perhaps the commentators are looking for something more to say, or perhaps they are taking some backh***ers, not that I would ever suggest anything like that at all.



Oops! You slipped. They never say tyres in NASCAR, it's tires.

It's tyres. But if you want to change the spelling to suit yourselves, then that's fine with us, but we won't bring it up everytime we see it spelt a different way. :rolleyes:

[Jag_Warrior]

Gosh, all you guys talk funny. It's not tires or tyres... it's tars!

[colinspooky]

and it's petrol, not gas. Gas is what you cook with

:D


And tars is wot we do arrr raads wiv, guv'nor

[call_me_andrew]

I cook with electricity.