IndyCar, NASCAR and the Top Sports Advertisers

2009 IndyCar Capture of Top 100 Sports Advertisers of 2008**

1. McDonald's (9th)
2. Coca-Cola (11th)
3. Gillette (39th)
4. American Honda (41st)
5. Bridgestone/Firestone (74th)
6. U.S. Marines (76th)
7. Target Stores (92nd)
   

2009 NASCAR Capture of Top 10 Sports Advertisers of 2008**

1. Anheuser-Busch (1st)
2. Chevrolet Motor Division (3rd)
3. Sprint NEXTEL (4th)
4. Verizon Communications (5th)
5. Toyota Motor Sales USA (6th)
6. Ford (7th)
7. DirecTV (8th)
8. McDonald's (9th)
9. Visa International (10th)

Q: What company from the Top 10 is missing? A: AT&T

If not for the Sprint NEXTEL industry exclusivity arrangement, NASCAR would have significant, full-season support from every one of the Top 10. IndyCar has one of the Top 10 and seven of the Top 100. We did not bother counting NASCAR's total capture of the Top 100 because it would have taken too much time.

NASCAR itself ranked 59th, racking up more than $39.5 million in sports advertising expenditures. The only sports-related businesses to spend more were NFL Properties (28th), the NFL (51st), and the PGA Tour (57th).

It's amazing what can happen when you serve consumers rather than suppliers of racing teams.

**Nielsen Sports Media and the Sports Business Journal