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NASCAR Merchandise Gets the Checkered Flag, Follows Sport's
Popularity
After reading this article, to learn more about
NASCAR Merchandise, visit
www.NASCAR-THINGS.com
NASCAR racing fans seem to have a big pocketbook for merchandise that shows backing for their favourite driver, whether it is by donning
NASCAR apparel, scarfing up
NASCAR accessories for their auto or pickup truck, or even decorating their front yard.
NASCAR clocks,
desk clocks, even
NASCAR throw blankets, bed sheets and wall tapestries are popping up in homes all over. Within the vast NASCAR wares market, substantial sub markets
have popped up. NASCAR collectibles have become huge merely by themselves. A potpourri of things from plaques and autographed photographs to diecast cars are snapped up, in part due to
the success of this sport, but also in hopes of increase in value for the collectables market. While the
NASCAR diecast arena has weakened lately, it is still respectable in strength. As drivers switch their paint schemes, it allows product producers to expand the items several times over in this sub market and that helps keep gross sales from dipping too much. Clothes such as
NASCAR jackets,
NASCAR jerseys
and t-shirts, etc appear to be flourishing in growth as producers roll out expanded products and are even including more expensive things like leather jackets and specialty items like
NASCAR jewelry. The true fanatic can even outfit the entire family with new introductions of full
NASCAR kids clothing and youth lines.
What drives this huge merchandise market. From its modest beginnings in the South, NASCAR has risen to incredible popularity across the entire
USA in recent years. From the beginning races conducted in 1948 to the current NEXTEL Cup and Busch series, NASCAR has become arguably the most popular spectator sport in America, sporting 75 million rabid fans. Surprisingly, 40% of current race fans are female and 53% work in white-collar or skilled labor jobs. And even with this diversity, the numbers continue to be impressive; annual attendance at race tracks is above 7 million and upwards of 275 million Americans watch on
TV. The NASCAR brand has become recognized around the world as a premier sports property. More Fortune 500 businesses utilize investment in NASCAR racing than any other spectator sport. Landor Associates was cited in December 2004 as saying "NASCAR was the
Number 6 brand in 2004 and is predicted to be the Number 2 brand in 2005, in front of Google and iPod," Those who keep up with the sport ascribe several reasons to its' success. Years of tradition and a grass beginnings beginning are just a couple of the reasons given for the sport's success. The origins of the sport in the "bootlegging" days and the modest background of many of it's original champions seems to be attractive to fans in this day of the spoiled, pampered, arrogant pro athlete. The NASCAR recipe is one that no other spectator sport matches. Week in and week out, the leading teams (drivers) are contending straight up against each other. Unlike, for instance the NFL, where you could have to wait for weeks for that huge match up, at a NASCAR race, you can view number 1 fighting number 2 every week. It's virtually like having the Super Bowl of this sport every week. From little local raceways in the Southern US, NASCAR has become very big business today. Including television revenues, sponsorship dollars, and licensed merchandise sales, NASCAR generates large dollars today. NASCAR merchandise gross sales now have moved up to top $2 billion per year and the markets continue to remain impressive. This is built on a 250% growth from 1995 to 2004. Where will it all stop? I don't believe we know, but when I see corporate secretaries wearing
NASCAR hats and white collar managers getting into
NASCAR shirts with pics of "Junior" plastered on them, I begin to doubt if there is a limit to this arena.
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