Steve Francis Sponsor

[swingarm4life]

Hot off the press! Steve Francis just picked a huge sponsor for the 2016 season with OPTIMA Batteries. He will be running full Lucas Oil schedule, best of luck to him and the team.

[MasterSbilt_Racer]

Hot off the press! Steve Francis just picked a huge sponsor for the 2016 season with OPTIMA Batteries. He will be running full Lucas Oil schedule, best of luck to him and the team.

It appears Lucas was very interested in keeping him on tour!

[W2Racing09]

Any place to confirm this yet?

Thanks,
Jeff.

[In The Gas]

What is Carrier going to do now?

[swingarm4life]

No, but trust me its a fact. I know a guy at Optima.

[BerckFan]

Hot off the press! Steve Francis just picked a huge sponsor for the 2016 season with OPTIMA Batteries. He will be running full Lucas Oil schedule, best of luck to him and the team.

So technically, this info wouldn't be "hot off the press yet" hahaha...j/k Good news for Francis, a s##t burger for Carrier though.

[SFrancisFan15]

That's what I like to hear!

[hucktyson]

I doubt it will effect carriers budget if he's still in the Grover machine

[ready2rd]

I wonder what a huge sponsor is nowadays in dirt racing ?

[Crossbones]

I wonder what a huge sponsor is nowadays in dirt racing ?

I'm guessing about $75,000 per year.

[Freezer19]

I wonder what a huge sponsor is nowadays in dirt racing ?I know too many of them are "Product only" deals and they appear on the car like they are primary sponsors. I know of several guys that way. Some are even touring drivers. It's amazing how much of it really still falls on the car own even with their car all decked out with major brand or companies.

[zyoung25]

I'd like to know what places like Petroff, Messila Valley Transport, and Seubert calf ranches have shelled out for racing. MVT sponsors Jason Johnson in the sprints. And I believe sponsors both Moyers.

I know Seubert don't sponsor as much as they used to, they were on a ton of cars a few years back.

Cool to see Steve get that, just wonder what Carrier will do? He may make the jump to the outlaws. He did run it years ago.

[Bigracer93]

Royal at MVT spend TONS of money in racing each year.. He owns 2 tracks, he races, and he sponsors numerous drivers as well. I know some trucking companies that sponsor guys get those guys diesel bills or atleast gets them discounts through a company account, and with MVT being largest privately owned (Royal and Jimmy Ray) trucking company I'm sure he takes care of the guys he sponsors..

[Necrosis]

Optima was a $50,000 sponsor in the previous few years.

[Escobar]

Optima was a $50,000 sponsor in the previous few years.

From the sounds of things, Carl Grover didn't want to spend the $$$ it takes to go back out on the road again this year. Look for a more regional schedule from the 28 team.

[waaac77]

I can't believe woo just sits back and let's this happen. This will probably be the last year of the woo tour if they don't cease operations midway through the '16 season

[W2Racing09]

I can't believe woo just sits back and let's this happen. This will probably be the last year of the woo tour if they don't cease operations midway through the '16 season

Why would it be the last year of the WoO tour? As long as tracks still bring them in they will exist. I know despite the obvious drop off in talent from Lucas to WoO every WoO race I've been to has a big crowd and that is all that is required for them to exist. They don't make money directly from the amount of big name drivers running on the tour.

Thanks,
Jeff.

[bleedblue55]

I can't believe woo just sits back and let's this happen. This will probably be the last year of the woo tour if they don't cease operations midway through the '16 season
What the He!! does Optima batteries (Lucas Sponsor) moving their driver sponsorship from one Lucas driver to another Lucas driver have do with WOO. Intellectually challenged comment.

[NormP]

I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he was being sarcastic and poking fun at all the people who say WoO has one nail in the coffin.

[go2fast]

No big names no crowd when you spend 25.00 or 30.00 a ticket you went to see the big name boys

[jog49]

So stay home or go find a Lucas Oil race somewhere. My friends and I will take your seat!

[Freezer19]

Your still going to have a strong field of cars they never get at a weekly show plus draw their fans favorite regional drivers. As long as they can get 10 cars to follow the series they will be just fine.

[W2Racing09]

No big names no crowd when you spend 25.00 or 30.00 a ticket you went to see the big name boys

Potomac Speedway was packed for the WoO race (that didn't feature Lanigan, which is pretty much the same field you will see in 2016). I would say Josh Richards, Shane Clanton, Ricket Eckert, and Chub Frank are all Nationally well known drivers who the fans like to see. Around here we pay $15 for a regular show, and $20 for a big local/regional show. The extra $5 does not really both me in order to see drivers like Richards, Clanton, etc. compete with the local guys.

Thanks,
Jeff.

[dirtdobber45]

So Steve will have Optima and Valvoline on the car? Thats big sponserships for 1 car . Either way I hope he has a great year. I hope that dosent stop Lil Eddie dosent stop touring tho...it be major blow like w Westfall

[zyoung25]

I think there's more money to be made for Eddie around here in the ohio valley. With the buckeye series this summer and several 3-5k to win races around, I wouldn't blame him a bit for staying closer to home. It appears the lucas series will have stronger in 2016 competition than it did last year. Financially for Grover, it would be smarter and better for them to stay near home, imo.

[Josh Bayko]

I think there's more money to be made for Eddie around here in the ohio valley. With the buckeye series this summer and several 3-5k to win races around, I wouldn't blame him a bit for staying closer to home. It appears the lucas series will have stronger in 2016 competition than it did last year. Financially for Grover, it would be smarter and better for them to stay near home, imo.

There's a pile of 20k+ races fairly close to home too. 50K at Atomic, 100K at PRP, 30k at Lernerville, 25k at Tyler County, 20k at PPMS and a bunch of 10k races not too far from home.

[RoundNrOUND]

A big sponsor is a one who will pay the fuel bill to get up and down the road for the year. That bill is typically around the 80k mark depending on the price of fuel. After that most of these guys are looking for product sponsors to help keep the cars together. Then they start looking for motor/rebuild sponsors. At the end of the day most to almost all of them fund their operations by piecing together deals to cover as much as possible so they can put the winnings and merch sales into their pockets and pay their crews. Of course the Bowyer type situations are the exception to the rule but even those teams are getting big time help from outside to be able to do what they do because there is no way to recoup what they spend racing dirt late models. Not everyone can have years like JD just had. That's why you see every one of these guys at PRI, that's why they're there, trying to get as much as they can for as close to free as possible.

[Crossbones]

A big sponsor is a one who will pay the fuel bill to get up and down the road for the year. That bill is typically around the 80k mark depending on the price of fuel. After that most of these guys are looking for product sponsors to help keep the cars together. Then they start looking for motor/rebuild sponsors. At the end of the day most to almost all of them fund their operations by piecing together deals to cover as much as possible so they can put the winnings and merch sales into their pockets and pay their crews. Of course the Bowyer type situations are the exception to the rule but even those teams are getting big time help from outside to be able to do what they do because there is no way to recoup what they spend racing dirt late models. Not everyone can have years like JD just had. That's why you see every one of these guys at PRI, that's why they're there, trying to get as much as they can for as close to free as possible.

lol $80,000 fuel bill? Fuel would have to be about $10.00 per gallon.

[RoundNrOUND]

Just from experience is where I set that number at. Ask a touring guy if you know one.

[ready2rd]

With fuel, tires, racing gas, travel expense, food, pit passes, labor, factor in maintenance cost right around $5,000 a race to run top 2 series so running 50 races a year a team needs any and all sponsorship they can get where its money by the month or free product anything helps but in the end most the money comes out of the team owners pocket .

[Escobar]

lol $80,000 fuel bill? Fuel would have to be about $10.00 per gallon.

$80k is pretty high. $50-$60,000 is a little more realistic.

[Crossbones]

$80k is pretty high. $50-$60,000 is a little more realistic.

I would say the typical cost (at current fuel prices) for a team (traveling in one vehicle) is about $20,000 per year, thats only including the fuel cost. I remember Eckert in the late 90s saying he would be putting about 30,000 miles on the rig that year. The schedule back then was really no different than today. If I wasn't too lazy I would go to one of these guys websites and look at their schedule then use mapquest to calculate the miles.

[hucktyson]

I don't think its 20k worth but I'm sure they use a decent amount letting their generators run 3 straight days

[ready2rd]

At 30,000 miles a year getting little over 5 miles to the gallon average $2.75 a gallon is a pile of cash .

[Crossbones]

At 30,000 miles a year getting little over 5 miles to the gallon average $2.75 a gallon is a pile of cash .

That pile of cash would be about $16,500.

[powerslide]

Little math for ya. Google only allows 10 destinations.

Leg 1 51h, 3316mi through Phenix city on the lucas oil for davenport and crew.
Leg 2 Next 6 shows 4115mi 64h.
Leg 3 Next 6 3971mi 61h.
Leg 4 Next 6 27h 1619.
Leg 5 Next 5 4598 70h.
Leg 6 Next 7 3070mi 50h.
Leg 7 Next 4 33h 2068

22757 total miles. I have them going back home if they have a full week until the next show and they aren't way out in Nebraska and the next show is in the midwest. We know they sometimes hit unsanctioned races so they may not go home every time but it still will add mileage.

So at 5mpg that's 4551 gallons only comes to $13654 for fuel at $3 per gallon. If we have a spike in prices and its $4 that's $18204.

[powerslide]

A fuel sponsor is huge for any team. Any time you can get someone to help with the reoccurring costs associated with our hobby it lets you worry about taking care of other things. I don't know on these haulers but say they buy new tires for the rig each year. $7500 or so. It all adds up quick when you get on the road

[WRC11]

So guys like Francis and Heckenast who have Tim Logan Racing and Heckenast Racing as a major sponsor on the side of the car, is that used as a business for tax write off purpose?