“So Boring…” – Denny Hamlin Insider Gangs Up With Brad Keselowski Revealing the Harsh Side of Sponsorship Deals

The first installment of the Racers Forum was quite insightful. Reaching out to many stars of the world of racing from different disciplines meant a collaboration of thoughts and invaluable input from some of the most experienced racers in the world. Former driver and Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski were the two drivers representing NASCAR at the event. One of the hot topics at the forum was the need for more connection between racing and its fans. Keselowski had an elaborate explanation about his stance on it, and in recent news, his opinion has received some support from a particular Denny Hamlin insider.

With Keselowski signaling a need to invest more in building brands as a collective and not an individual, another aspect that comes into play here is sponsorships. Looking at the recent situation, many drivers need help landing a supportive sponsor across the national tourneys.

A confidant of Denny Hamlin believes investing in stardom makes NASCAR one-dimensional

Brad Keselowski is one of the most vocal drivers in NASCAR. The 2012 Cup champion has never backed out of expressing his honest opinion and adds excellent insight to his comments, which forced former driver Kenny Wallace into believing that he is the next ‘ mayor’ of NASCAR. Additionally, he is exploring the different sides of his relatively new role as a driver-owner, adding a new dimension to his impressive thought process.

Brad Keselowski followed up on the conversation, saying, “Right now, there isn’t a really good… ROI for the teams to invest [in driver star power]… If a driver leaves, it’s a big loss in that investment, which is not great. And they don’t get anything long-lasting value out of it.” 

Denny Hamlin’s crew chief Chris Gabehart also acknowledged Keselowski’s opinion on Twitter as he wrote, “One dimension is so boring… kudos for recognizing it, at least.”

Gabehart has seen the unpredictable side of NASCAR sponsorship up close, with his driver, Denny Hamlin, having to switch sponsors mid-season this year. While everyone knows the iconic FedEx #11 Toyota Camry, it is worth noticing that the e-commerce company was not present on the chassis of Denny Hamlin’s car for a great part of the season. This somewhat predicts that even a long-time partner like FedEx has struggled to stay invested in the vehicle.

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Although it is safe to say that Denny Hamlin and Joe Gibbs Racing worked together closely to build their brand as superstars of the sport, companies have developed a fleeting interest in backing their drivers as they used to in previous generations.

JGR co-owner presents his idea to build a fanbase around a racing team

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Another executive who represented NASCAR at the forum was Joe Gibbs Racing co-owner Heathen Gibbs. Following Jeff Gordon’s comments about how stars from the previous generation retiring from the sport have had a positive impact, Gibbs says that instead of banking on drivers to bring in fans, teams need to prove to be a more attractive option to support. A sports fan is likelier to watch a race to see his favorite driver than a favorite team, and Gibbs wants to change that.

“I would say for me, especially having the youngest driver in the field, who doesn’t necessarily want all of the attention, that you’ve got so many other players on the field,” Gibbs elaborated.

“I think the personality of our pit crews has really taken off. There’s so much diversity; they come from so many different backgrounds. Most of them didn’t grow up saying, ‘I want to change tires for a living.’ Some of these guys don’t know anything about NASCAR, they’re phenomenal athletes. I love their storyline. I think they’re so much fun and can draw in a whole different audience and maybe take some of the pressure off.”

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JGR has been known for its presence in the NASCAR team’s pit crews and has even supplied its services to many groups, like 23XI Racing. Gibbs got to experience the awful situation of a driver’s sponsorship deal last year. It shocked the world when Kyle Busch decided to find a different path than that of JGR. However, ultimately, all of it came down to a need for more effort to provide sponsorship from Joe Gibbs and Co.