[AlkyMadness]

Perhaps this is old news and I missed it.

But, I heard at Volusia tonight that Oakley will now be the title sponsor of the USAC National Sprint Tour. All of the USAC trailers are being re-skinned and 2008 merchandise is being produced.

Wonder where this leaves Lucas?

Personally, if it brings the money and pays the bills, okay. IMO though, I equate Oakley with glitz and Hollywood style BS. I think of Monster Trucks, funny cars, etc. However, with Lucas, I think of serious racing.

[hoosierhillbilly]

I remember when Scotty Cannon ran the Oakley Funny Car. He had a mowhawk and wore very odd sunglasses. Maybe the sprint car drivers could go that route too.

AS for lucas, I did see where they picked up the title sponsorship of the Empire Super Sprint series. Furthermore, maybe they needed to cut some costs to pay for their new football skyscraper in downtow indy.

[Seadog]

News to me. Good news. Is that a conflict with Fatheadz/USAC promotion not to mention Lucas as you said?

Where did you see or hear about this?

All of Lucas' money is sitting in downtown Indy, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Lucas Oil getting out of racing.

[Kevin Miller]

This is not true. There have been no discussions with Oakley in sponsoring USAC. Oakley is involved in authentic racing though, and now distribute racing saftey apparel (gloves, boots, driver suits).

[Todd Kimmel]

Spoke with OAKLEY and these rumors are not true. They are sponsoring drivers and teams, but not the USAC series.

And just like stated before that would be a conflict with Fatheadz and I am pretty sure USAC would not do that.

Todd Kimmel
Todd Kimmel Racing/Trucks in Action/Longs Bakery/Oakley/DRC/Hoosier

Thats too bad - I would think that Oakley would be an excellent sponsor, yes it may conflict w/Fatheadz but Oakley also offers complete apparel line of clothes - not to mention the following from motorcross to skiing.....could you imagine going to the Oakley store in the mall and seeing a huge banner of a spint car at Phoenix or Richmond - right next to the huge banner of some guy on a snow-board????

Originally Posted by AlkyMadness Perhaps this is old news and I missed it. But, I heard at Volusia tonight that Oakley will now be the title sponsor of the USAC National Sprint Tour. All of the USAC trailers are being re-skinned and 2008 merchandise is being produced. Wonder where this leaves Lucas? Personally, if it brings the money and pays the bills, okay. IMO though, I equate Oakley with glitz and Hollywood style BS. I think of Monster Trucks, funny cars, etc. However, with Lucas, I think of serious racing.

Even though all the information in this post is incorrect in one manner or another, I find it interesting that someone would actually have a bias against one potential "series sponsor" over another. What I find infinitely ironic is that if indeed Oakley had actually come aboard, I am sure it would be in a capacity that the Lucas deal from '07 could only aspire to, and therefore, it would automatically be a more viable advertising partner for USAC in '08. This is a case once again of someone speaking of something they know nothing about on this message board (while presuming incorrectly to know it all), which seems to happen more often than not in this forum.

Also, that this "good ole' boys club" mentality still exists in this sport is disturbing beyond all comprehension. The very idea that a "very hip, very now" product such as Oakley would be a question for some people is EXACTLY what is creating, and perpetuating the dwindling fan base of short track America. Oakley's target audience is the exact target demographic that USAC needs to tap; The youth of America. Because if USAC does not begin to sell itself as an "extreme sport" to the younger generation, as time goes on, there will be nobody left in the stands. It is widely regarded that every year, short track racing's fan base (and USAC's in particular) gets one year older, as we are not repleneshing our sport with younger rabid fans because of a negligence in marketing and appeal to this target demographic. I would vigorously applaud the move if Oakley were to actually become a title sponsor of USAC, because the audience they appeal to love monster trucks, funny cars, flying motorcycles, and hopefully one day, sprint cars and midgets as well. Then maybe the future of the sport would actually begin to look brighter. Because if you look around, the only young people going to the track these days en masse are the youngsters in the race cars, and those born into it. We need to start reaching young people, and we need to do it posthaste, people.

There is no time to waste here. We must turn the tide immediately if we are to survive, my friends. It's as simple as that.

Dean Mills - "We want the world and we want it now!" - James Douglas Morrison, The Doors

[Brolzy]

Originally Posted by Kevin Miller This is not true. There have been no discussions with Oakley in sponsoring USAC. Oakley is involved in authentic racing though, and now distribute racing saftey apparel (gloves, boots, driver suits).

Sweet...straight from the top. That's pretty cool...thanks!

[smbpreformance]

I fully agree with Dean; Oakley, Monster Energy Drink, Rock Star, Red Bull, ect ect ect would be a great sponsor and bring the visibility needed to the sport that is in need of some "glitz and Hollywood style BS"

These products sponsor other forms of motorsports activities that are plastered all over our TV. Hoosier Tire, Mopar, Lucas Oil, Vavoline, Chevy and on and on and on are limited in their reach because they only appeal to the "Car Guys" however USAC needs a title sponsor that can attract a fan base across the board.

I would love to go to the gas station and see 2007 USAC National Midget Champion Jerry Coons Jr on an in store display with his image on the side of a energy drink. That marketing is what will help the teams at all levels find sponsors and help promoters find TV producers willing to take a risk