From nascar.com
Kodak
Another sign that the global economy is slowing down dramatically is that Eastman Kodak Co. is ending its 22-year sponsorship in NASCAR and putting more sports marketing dollars into professional golf. The photography pioneer, betting its future on electronic imaging, said Monday the realignment fits better with a new effort to highlight its brand digitally, such as on PGA Tour scoreboards. Kodak said it is also ending a four-year sponsorship of Penske Racing at year's-end. Since signing on with NASCAR in 1986, Kodak-sponsored cars have won the Daytona 500 four times -- with Ryan Newman's car this year, Sterling Marlin's in 1994 and 1995 and Ernie Irvan's in 1991.
Max Papis
Germain Racing will announce Monday that Max Papis has been signed to compete in 18 Sprint Cup races in Germain's No. 13 Toyota under Geico sponsorship next year. Mike Wallace, who is driving the No. 7 Geico Toyota for Germain in the Nationwide Series this year, is in a difficult situation. Geico must end its Nationwide sponsorship at the end of the 2008 season to remove a conflict with title sponsor Nationwide, which has an exclusive deal with NASCAR in the insurance category for the series.
Goodyear
Preliminary results are in, and it appears both NASCAR teams and Goodyear officials are pleased with the performance of the new, slightly softer tire compound being used this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. After two full practice sessions Saturday in conditions that will be very close to those for Sunday's Pep Boys Auto 500, Goodyear general manager of worldwide racing Stu Grant said the tire compound selected after a pair of tire tests at the speedway is a significant improvement over the tire that caused so much consternation back in the spring.
Kodak
Another sign that the global economy is slowing down dramatically is that Eastman Kodak Co. is ending its 22-year sponsorship in NASCAR and putting more sports marketing dollars into professional golf. The photography pioneer, betting its future on electronic imaging, said Monday the realignment fits better with a new effort to highlight its brand digitally, such as on PGA Tour scoreboards. Kodak said it is also ending a four-year sponsorship of Penske Racing at year's-end. Since signing on with NASCAR in 1986, Kodak-sponsored cars have won the Daytona 500 four times -- with Ryan Newman's car this year, Sterling Marlin's in 1994 and 1995 and Ernie Irvan's in 1991.
Max Papis
Germain Racing will announce Monday that Max Papis has been signed to compete in 18 Sprint Cup races in Germain's No. 13 Toyota under Geico sponsorship next year. Mike Wallace, who is driving the No. 7 Geico Toyota for Germain in the Nationwide Series this year, is in a difficult situation. Geico must end its Nationwide sponsorship at the end of the 2008 season to remove a conflict with title sponsor Nationwide, which has an exclusive deal with NASCAR in the insurance category for the series.
Goodyear
Preliminary results are in, and it appears both NASCAR teams and Goodyear officials are pleased with the performance of the new, slightly softer tire compound being used this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. After two full practice sessions Saturday in conditions that will be very close to those for Sunday's Pep Boys Auto 500, Goodyear general manager of worldwide racing Stu Grant said the tire compound selected after a pair of tire tests at the speedway is a significant improvement over the tire that caused so much consternation back in the spring.