NASCAR: Childress Asked To Downplay Shell Logos

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Kevin Harvick likely won't be wearing his Shell sponsorship logos quite so prominently this weekend at California Speedway. Harvick's team has been asked to utilize logos representing the Pennzoil automotive lubricant part of the company more prominently instead of the dominant Shell logo associated with the company's gasoline in an effort to play down any perceived competition with Sunoco, the official fuel of NASCAR.

Sunoco has exclusive rights to the fuel category at a NASCAR track, and company officials raised the logo matter after Harvick won both the Busch and Nextel Cup series races wearing prominent Shell logos at Daytona International Speedway. As a result, Harvick will apparently be sporting smaller Shell logos at this weekend's events at California Speedway.

"Obviously we've got a lot of partners and constituencies in the garage area that are important to the entire industry, and when these things come up we want to work through them as best we can," NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said Thursday morning. (Scene Daily)

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No one will be more thrilled about not having to wear that uniform than Harvick. He really did look like Ronald McDonald in that suit.

I just heard NASCAR radio on Sirius where John Kernan said the Sunoco deal is worth $10 Million a year and the Shell deal may be worth more (undisclosed). However because Sunoco purchased the "Official Sponsor of NASCAR" license than they have the right to do what they did.

Childress will also have Sponsorship issues with the Cingular car soon. Nextel also has the "Official" license on phone carriers. AT&T merger with Cingular means that they should change the car to AT&T but Nextel will block that from happening.

Bottom line is NASCAR will do whatever the sponsor who gives them the most money wants to do.