Corporate Sponsorship

The corporate accounting office is going to want those return on investment numbers -- stat! Everyone else in the company wants a skybox and all-you-can-eat corn dogs. No problem -- just remember, in the world of NASCAR sponsorships, everything is negotiable.

If a company has signed a sponsorship deal with a team, they may be able to negotiate to have Dale Jr. at the corporate picnic. It doesn't get them grandstand tickets or even the right to have a booth at the track. That requires a track-level sponsorship.

Sponsoring a race at the track level means the event is named after your company -- the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, for example. This will set the company back $500,000 to $2 million, depending on the venue. But the perks are numerous, and, with good negotiating skills, can include:

• Venue signage
• Sponsor logos on the tickets and race programs
• Skybox, VIP tickets, hospitality tent
• Pace car rides
• Pit tours and passes
• Access to drivers' meetings and the Winner's Circle
• Being the Grand Marshal, waving the green flag, or giving the trophy to the winner
• Saying "Gentlemen, start your engines!"
• Unlimited corn dogs could be worked out -- for a price

All right, let's put it all together and see what this would look like if we held the HowStuffWorks 500.