NASCAR BGN: Phillips 66 Celebrates Five Year In Busch Series Competition

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

March 28, 2001

FORT WORTH, Texas --- Texas Motor Speedway scored its first NASCAR Busch Series, Grand National Division race in April 1997. During that inaugural event, a company based in the heart of the midwest made its return to stock car racing by becoming the primary sponsor of an up-and-comer by the name of Elliott Sadler in the NASCAR Busch Series. The 2001 NASCAR Busch Series season marks the fifth season of competition as a primary sponsor for Phillips 66, and the Jani-King 300 at Texas Motor Speedway marks the official anniversary for the Bartlesville, Okla.-based company.

The first foray into stock car racing for Phillips 66 occurred in the early 1990s. Phillips 66 sponsored the Cale Yarborough-owned Winston Cup entry in 1990, '91 and '92. Dick Trickle and Chad Little are a couple drivers who had seat time in the No. 66 Phillips 66 entry. It was the company's first and only time in NASCAR until 1997.

"The petroleum industry went through a tough period in the early 1990s," explained Bob Pomeroy, director of sponsorship for Phillips Petroleum Company. "Profits were down and it was hard to make money in the gasoline business. Advertising, promotion, sponsorship budgets were being downsized dramatically. Our NASCAR program was just one of the sponsorship programs we ended. We were involved with some NBA, NFL and Major League Baseball teams as well.

"It wasn't that we weren't pleased with our sponsorships. It was more of a necessity through budget restraints than anything else that caused us to terminate our NASCAR program in 1992."

During the mid-90's, executives in Bartlesville received requests from various marketers in the country that the company reconsider some of their sports sponsorships. The NASCAR sponsorship tended to be at the top of the request list.

"Our sponsorships serve as a tool for the company to entertain clients and potential clients," Pomeroy said. "The Phillips 66 marketers really enjoyed the time we were in NASCAR racing. Seeing the Phillips 66 car at the track or on television really raised the value of the brand in the eyes of our marketers. In mid-1996 we formed a task force to evaluate various sponsorship opportunities, primarily focusing on racing."

Realizing budgets wouldn't allow for a Winston Cup sponsorship in 1997, Phillips 66 took a look at the NASCAR Busch Series. In March of 1997, Phillips 66 executives were invited to attend the Busch Series race at Darlington Raceway by car owner Gary Bechtel. Two weeks later, Phillips 66 had a signed contract with Diamond Ridge Motorsports.

"We intended to utilize 1997 as an observation year," Pomery explained. "The Diamond Ridge deal was so attractive that we pulled the trigger and started sponsoring Elliott (Sadler) in April 1997."

After two years with Sadler, Phillips 66 became the primary sponsor for veteran Todd Bodine at Cicci-Welliver Racing during the 1999 and 2000 seasons. At the conclusion of the 2000 Busch Series season Bodine made the move to Winston Cup, and Busch Series regular Tim Fedewa became the driver of the No. 66 Phillips 66 Chevrolet.

"We've been fortunate to be able to align ourselves with drivers like Elliott, Todd and Tim," Pomeroy said. "Each of these guys have a good public image and conduct themselves well when spending time with our marketers and clients. There is no way to put a dollar figure on what that accomplishes for our program."

Since rejoining the ranks of NASCAR, Phillips 66 has enjoyed moderate success as a primary sponsor in the Busch Series. In five years of competition, Phillips 66 has enjoyed six wins, six poles, 35 top fives and 60 top 10s as a primary sponsor. Consistency on the racetrack has allowed the Phillips 66 team to finish in the top 10 in driver points standings at the conclusions of the 1997-2000 seasons.

"Comparing our NASCAR sponsorship in the early 1990s to what we've accomplished in the Busch Series during the past five years, the impact has been greater between 1997 and 2001 than it was in three years of the Winston Cup sponsorship in the early 90s," Pomeroy said. "The Busch Series sponsorship has heightened our brand awareness and our marketers are taking full advantage of hospitality opportunities."

Text provided by Penny Copen

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