Personality Fit in NASCAR

In the United States, National Association of Stock
Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the largest spectator
sport, has the largest event attendance, and is the
most popular form of automobile racing. NASCAR
generates over $2 billion per year in revenue and
corporate sponsors provide significant financial
investments to the racing teams. According to
NASCAR s President, Mike Helton, NASCAR is a way of
life It becomes a lifestyle because the fans are so
loyal to whoever their favorite driver and team
are. Fans are also fiercely loyal to the sponsoring
companies of their favorite driver or team, and this
devotion has been documented consistently in the
sport sponsorship literature. NASCAR sponsors hope
that their financial support of the sport will
generate the same level of loyalty toward their
brands from the fans, and this loyalty will result
in increased revenue generation. Therefore, the
purpose of this study was to determine if
personality fit between NASCAR drivers and their
major sponsors affected the sponsorship outcomes of
consumer attitudes toward the sponsor, attitudes
toward the brand, and purchase intentions during a
NASCAR event.

Autorentext

Dr. Windy Dees is an Assistant Professor in the College of Health and Human Sciences at Georgia Southern University. Her research focuses on sponsorship effectiveness of elite intercollegiate and professional sport. She received her Master of Science from the University of Florida and her Doctor of Philosophy at Texas A&M University.

Klappentext

In the United States, National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the largest spectator sport, has the largest event attendance, and is the most popular form of automobile racing. NASCAR generates over $2 billion per year in revenue and corporate sponsors provide significant financial investments to the racing teams. According to NASCAR's President, Mike Helton, "NASCAR is a way of life...It becomes a lifestyle because the fans are so loyal to whoever their favorite driver and team are." Fans are also fiercely loyal to the sponsoring companies of their favorite driver or team, and this devotion has been documented consistently in the sport sponsorship literature. NASCAR sponsors hope that their financial support of the sport will generate the same level of loyalty toward their brands from the fans, and this loyalty will result in increased revenue generation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if personality fit between NASCAR drivers and their major sponsors affected the sponsorship outcomes of consumer attitudes toward the sponsor, attitudes toward the brand, and purchase intentions during a NASCAR event.