NASCAR SPONSORSHIP

VISIBILITY ANALYSIS

Which sponsors deliver the most visibility per dollar — and who NY Racing should pursue

Prepared for NY Racing

Dylan C.H. Dale, MBA · 2024 Cup Series · July 2026

Sponsorship decisions are made on instinct — not evidence

4

primary sponsors

analyzed

NAPA · FedEx · McDonald's · Love's

36

races across the

2024 Cup Series

Full-season coverage

3

data channels

combined

Race results · social · news

NY Racing is evaluating its sponsorship portfolio. Until now, there has been no objective way to compare what each partner delivers.

NASCAR Sponsorship Visibility Analysis | NY Racing

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"Most visible" and "best value" are not the same sponsor

The complication: raw exposure hides what a sponsor actually costs to achieve it.

MOST TOTAL EXPOSURE

NAPA Auto Parts

635.7 total season points — the most of any sponsor

But at an estimated $21M, it is also the most expensive by far.

BEST VALUE PER DOLLAR

McDonald's

$358K per visibility point — less than half NAPA's cost

Highest per-race visibility, at a fraction of the spend.

The right answer depends on the goal — reach, or return. This deck gives you both.

NASCAR Sponsorship Visibility Analysis | NY Racing

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So we built one score that combines every visibility signal

Five measured variables → normalized 0–100 → weighted → one comparable score per race

31%

Race finish

Performance

33%

News coverage

Media

13%

Laps led

Performance

11%

Reddit mentions

Social

11%

YouTube views

Video

Excluded by design: race wins (none in the data) and playoff races (no measurable effect). Every weight is defensible from the data — nothing arbitrary.

NASCAR Sponsorship Visibility Analysis | NY Racing

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McDonald's leads per-race visibility — despite the fewest races

WHY

Best average finish

of the four (13.2)

�

Strongest YouTube

sponsor engagement

NASCAR Sponsorship Visibility Analysis | NY Racing

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On a cost-adjusted basis, the ranking flips — NAPA falls to last

THE GAP

$358K

per point — McDonald's

�

$826K

per point — NAPA

�

2.3× efficiency gap

NASCAR Sponsorship Visibility Analysis | NY Racing

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The best partners sit high and to the left: strong value, low cost

READ IT LIKE THIS

McDonald's & Love's

sit above the value line — more visibility per dollar.

�

NAPA

sits far right — high cost, visibility that doesn't keep pace.

NASCAR Sponsorship Visibility Analysis | NY Racing

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Three ways to choose — depending on what NY Racing wants

MAXIMIZE VALUE

McDonald's

• Best visibility per dollar
• $10M · 2.79 pts/$M
• Our recommended pick

MAXIMIZE REACH

NAPA Auto Parts

• Most total exposure
• $21M · 635.7 total pts
• If budget is no constraint

BUDGET ENTRY

Love's Travel Stops

• Strong value, lowest cost
• $7M · 2.61 pts/$M
• Test the audience first

NASCAR Sponsorship Visibility Analysis | NY Racing

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What could change this — and where we're being careful

1

Cost figures are estimates

Deal values are confidential; we used industry benchmarks. Rankings held under low/mid/high cost tests.

2

McDonald's ran two cars

Both Wallace and Reddick carried the brand some races, which may raise its true cost and narrow the value gap.

3

One race still pending

Race 4 exposure data is being backfilled; scores are preliminary but directionally stable.

4

Single season, four sponsors

2024 only. Findings are directional, not a guarantee of future seasons.

NASCAR Sponsorship Visibility Analysis | NY Racing

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THE RECOMMENDATION

Pursue McDonald's.

The only sponsor that leads on both visibility and value — top per-race exposure at less than half NAPA's cost per point.

→ Confirm real costs

Get actual quotes to replace estimates

→ Finish the data

Complete Race 4 backfill, re-run model

→ Present with scenarios

Lead McDonald's; hold NAPA & Love's as options

Dylan C.H. Dale, MBA · NY Racing Externship

APPENDIX

Supporting detail and reference tables — held as backup for questions

• Per-sponsor profiles
• Full rankings and efficiency table
• Scoring methodology and weights
• Cost sources and data provenance

McDonald's — 23XI Racing

RECOMMENDED

1st

Visibility rank

1st

Efficiency rank

27.9

Mean visibility

$358K

Cost / point

PROFILE

• Drivers: Bubba Wallace & Tyler Reddick (two cars)
• Best average finish of the four sponsors (13.2)
• Strongest sponsor-specific YouTube engagement
• Estimated cost: $10M — mid-tier, competitive

VERDICT Leads on both visibility and value — the recommended pursuit. Watch the two-car cost caveat.

NASCAR Sponsorship Visibility Analysis | NY Racing

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NAPA Auto Parts — Hendrick

MAX REACH

2nd

Visibility rank

4th

Efficiency rank

25.4

Mean visibility

$826K

Cost / point

PROFILE

• Driver: Chase Elliott
• Most total season exposure (635.7 points)
• Most laps led in the dataset (317)
• Estimated cost: $21M — highest by a wide margin

VERDICT Maximum reach, but the weakest value: each point costs more than double McDonald's. Choose only if budget is unconstrained.

NASCAR Sponsorship Visibility Analysis | NY Racing

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FedEx — Joe Gibbs Racing

BALANCED

3rd

Visibility rank

3rd

Efficiency rank

25.1

Mean visibility

$399K

Cost / point

PROFILE

• Driver: Denny Hamlin
• Balanced profile: strong news + laps led
• Most sensitive to weighting (rises with media weight)
• Estimated cost: $10M — mid-tier

VERDICT A consistent middle option. Solid on every dimension without leading any — the safe, unspectacular choice.

NASCAR Sponsorship Visibility Analysis | NY Racing

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Love's Travel Stops — Front Row

BUDGET VALUE

4th

Visibility rank

2nd

Efficiency rank

18.3

Mean visibility

$383K

Cost / point

PROFILE

• Driver: Michael McDowell
• Lowest absolute visibility of the four
• But 2nd-best value — rises two spots on efficiency
• Estimated cost: $7M — lowest of any sponsor

VERDICT The budget entry point: modest reach, but strong value per dollar. Best fit for testing the NASCAR audience before scaling.

NASCAR Sponsorship Visibility Analysis | NY Racing

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Reference: full season rankings

Primary ranking is the per-race mean. Sum is shown for reference only; it rewards race count, which differs across sponsors.

All figures preliminary pending Race 4 exposure backfill.

NASCAR Sponsorship Visibility Analysis | NY Racing

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Reference: scoring methodology and weights

HOW THE SCORE IS BUILT

1. Normalize each variable 0–100
2. Apply weights above
3. Sum to one score per race
4. Average across races per sponsor

EXCLUDED BY DESIGN

Race wins — no wins identifiable from the averaged finish field (all-zero variable). Playoff races — exploratory analysis found no measurable visibility effect. Every retained weight is defensible from the data.

NASCAR Sponsorship Visibility Analysis | NY Racing

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Reference: cost estimates and sources

Why estimates: exact NASCAR deal values are confidential. Figures are prorated from published rates by race count and team tier. Race counts here reflect full-season deals and differ slightly from the tracked dataset.

Efficiency rankings were tested under low, mid, and high estimates — the order held: McDonald's led and NAPA trailed in every case.

NASCAR Sponsorship Visibility Analysis | NY Racing

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Reference: data sources and analytical backbone

WHAT THE DATA SHOWED

At the season level, better finishes track higher visibility (r = −0.92). Per-race exposure data was sparse, so the model aggregates to the sponsor-season level where the signal is reliable. Top-tier teams draw more visibility regardless of single-race finishes — a confounder we document rather than hide.

NASCAR Sponsorship Visibility Analysis | NY Racing

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