Sponsor losses would rock NASCAR

A Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon or merlot won't be the most discussed fruity beverage at Infineon Raceway this weekend during NASCAR's visit to Sonoma, Calif.

The Sprint Cup tour's annual stop in Northern California follows a week when NASCAR was rocked by a double shot of sponsor temblors that rattled some teams like wine glasses in an unanchored hutch.

The first rumble was a report from The Associated Press that Red Bull has lost its NASCAR energy and will leave the Sprint Cup series as owner/sponsor of a two-car team as soon as this year.

Then, in the uberpatriotic world of stock-car racing, a Minnesota congressman fired another round that could kill sponsorship funding from branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.

As team owner and sponsor, Red Bull is a rock star in Formula One this year, with driver Sebastian Vettel winning five of seven races in the most technologically advanced form of racing. But Red Bull has been far from a monster on oval tracks, with only one win since joining lower-tech NASCAR in 2007.

If the team shuts down after this season, there will be two fewer driver seats to fill.

The loss of Red Bull would impact NASCAR's efforts to reach the coveted 18- to 35-year-old male market that loves energy drinks. The departure also could have a small impact on tracks such as Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where Red Bull courted hundreds of guests in a party zone set up at recent Cup races.

Losing a sponsor is never good, but losing one much bigger than Red Bull would have a more detrimental impact on the sport -- and our military.

Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., fired another shot at racing and sports sponsorships by U.S. military branches. It's her second incursion into military sponsorships with an emphasis on racing.

She sought to ban military backing of NASCAR teams in February. Her office has issued a statement that she intends to introduce legislation again to prohibit taxpayer funds from being used to sponsor such sports as bass fishing, mixed martial arts and, most visibly, NASCAR.

According to McCollum's office, the Department of Defense spent more than $50.7 million on sports sponsorships in 2010, the MinnPost.com reported. That includes the U.S. Army this year spending $7.5 million to sponsor Ryan Newman's car at Stewart-Haas Racing and $3.9 million on Tony Schumacher's NHRA Top Fuel dragster. The National Guard, the report adds, pays about $20 million to sponsor Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Cup team.

Those expenditures might seem high but are just a dribble of our $600 billion military budget.

The military's presence in racing and other sports not only helps recruiting but serves as a morale boost for troops.

One in three serving our country are NASCAR fans, NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston noted on Twitter, adding that 20 percent of NASCAR fans either are serving or have served.

Red Bull no longer might be bullish on NASCAR, but NASCAR definitely marches in step with our respected military.

Jeff Wolf's motor sports column is published Friday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He can be reached at jwolf@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0247. Visit lvrj.com/motorsports for more news and commentary. Follow Wolf on Twitter: @lvrjwolf.