John Jellinek

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Tag: Danica Patrick

March 12, 2014

Danica Patrick is Looking for Luck in Las Vegas

Nascar, Motorsports, RacingAfter experiencing two tough weeks on the track, NASCAR driver Danica Patrick is hoping that the upcoming race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will turn her 2014 season around. Her first two weeks of racing ended with damaged racecars. The first wreck in Daytona was not so surprising, because collisions are not uncommon for NASCAR drivers, but when she was involved in a wreck that stunted her performance for a second consecutive week while racing in Phoenix, Patrick became understandably frustrated.

In her first race of the season, Patrick finished 40th. At her second race, she placed 38th. Still, Patrick is optimistic going into her third race of the season in Las Vegas. In 2011, Patrick attained a fourth-place finish in the Nationwide Series race in the same location. That fourth-place finish was the highest finish for a female in any NASCAR national series race.

Patrick is hoping Las Vegas will be a good luck charm for her, and with good reason. Patrick is 41st in owner standings and, starting next week at Bristol, 2014 owner points will determine which drivers make provisional. The top 36 cars in the first qualifying session each get the chance to race, followed by seven other spots which will be filled by drivers in the 2014 owner standings. To put things into perspective for Patrick, the first driver to go home last year was ranked 42nd in the 2013 owner standings.

Last year in 2013, Patrick started in the top 20 twice and in the top 30 sixteen times. At Phoenix, she started at 33rd. Patrick and her crew chief, Tony Gibson, are looking ahead and excited about the car that will be racing in Las Vegas. Between Patrick’s enthusiasm and the power and speed packed into her new car, the two are confident that Patrick can turn things around in Las Vegas.

For more information about Danica Patrick’s 2014 season and the upcoming race in Las Vegas please visit http://www.sportingnews.com/nascar/story/2014-03-06/danica-patrick-las-vegas-race-phoenix-crash-daytona-sprint-cup-standings.

February 25, 2014

Sponsors Invest in Nascar Stars

NascarIn recent years, Nascar drivers have experienced decreasing salaries because of sponsors committing less financially.  However, for stars in the sport, salaries are bigger than ever.  The ten highest-paid drivers had a cumulative income of $170 million last year, including salaries, endorsements, winnings and licensing.  Teams are searching for high profile drivers that consistently end up in the winner’s circle, hoping to attract sponsors.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been the highest-paid driver for the last six years, earning $25.6 million in 2013.  His licensing income is down, as he made $30 million five years ago, but he still holds the sport’s biggest licensing and endorsement income.  The Army National Guard spent $30 million in 2013 to sponsor Earnhardt’s No. 88 car in 20 races, meaning that his car carries the most expensive real estate in the sport-

As for the theory of advertisers being drawn to someone in “the winner’s circle,” Earnhardt has made the Chase three years in a row, finishing fifth in the year-end standing last year.  In October, Earnhardt became the 34th driver to make the 500 career Sprint Cup Starts.  He was also voted Nascar’s most popular driver by fans for the 11th year in a row.

Jimmie Johnson, Earnhardt’s teammate, was the second highest-paid driver last year, earning $24.8 million.  Johnson was America’s most influential athlete in 2011 and 2012 based on data from Nielsen and E-poll.  The total amount of prize money Johnson received last, $14.7 million, was twice as much as what Earnhardt received, but his endorsement and licensing income are still considerably lower than Earnhardt’s.

Even the ninth highest-paid driver, Danica Patrick, earned $13.5 million last year.  While she may not be the sport’s top driver, she is still one of Nascar’s biggest draws, holding more than ten personal endorsement partners, including Coca-Cola.  She has also appeared in a record 13 Super Bowl commercials and her merchandise is Nascar’s sixth bestseller for officially licensed sports merchandise.

For more information about Nascar’s highest paid drivers please visit http://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2014/02/20/nascars-highest-paid-drivers-2014/.