Rookie Season for Monster Energy a Success?

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2017 was the first year Monster Energy Drink was the entitlement sponsor of NASCAR's premier series and it most certainly can be labeled a success. Of course, the first year of a deal can always be tough but NASCAR and Monster took advantage of the situation and it resulted in a strong first campaign. 

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"Well, you've got to remember, this is only the first year, right, and there are always growing pains, but as I said earlier, we're thrilled," said Brian France, CEO of NASCAR in the end of the season press conference at Homestead last month. "The promises they've made, they've kept, with the young demo, edgy shows, edgy marketing, putting our drivers in different places in a different light.  That's what we want.  They've delivered on that.  And like anything else, I think it will get better as they -- this is also a hard program.  It's a complicated program.  It's the best program, but to execute across all these platforms.  It's a big, big sport.  There's nothing like it, so you don't get an opportunity to just go, well, we'll do it like that guy did it or this guy does it over here because nobody can have, today anyway, in a major sports league, an entitlement position like this, so it's a great program, but it -- and I think it will get better next year."

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Reports listed that the Monster deal is only a two-year deal but that was probably done on purpose. A new sponsor like this is always different, especially when for the last 12 years the sport has had a cellular company as its entitlement. The difference between a cellular and energy drink company is a vast difference. The two-year deal gave both parties the opportunity to feel out and to see if NASCAR should take a different direction in entitlement sponsor. With one year down though, Monster really adapted with the fans this season including the at-track activation. The product on the track was strong and in the end, the dominant car won the championship.

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"We've been really pleased with how Monster has come in and engaged with our fans, and the show out here this weekend will demonstrate that," stated France. "In all market, it's been fantastic.  Their young, edgy demo, they're motorsports centric and they always have been in their culture.  We're really pleased.  I've been out to their headquarters three different times to work with them because this is also a complicated sport to make sure that they're getting all the value, but they're getting a lot of value, and we're very pleased with where that relationship is."

Monster has been a very strong spokesman for the sport outside the track with advertisements on television, promotion on displays at convenience stores across America, and as noted above, their activation at the track during race weekend. The fan zone Monster sets up outside the track should appeal to any NASCAR fan, young or old. Free Monster, Burnouts by a lineup of different vehicles, and multiple other things should get fans pumped up about seeing a NASCAR race.

An empire isn't built overnight so why did fans expect all of NASCAR's problems to be fixed in just one season? Instead of flocking to social media to discuss whether or not Monster has resigned with the sport or not, buy a ticket for the race or tune in on television, show it support and give Monster or NASCAR a reason to extend the deal. Yes, NASCAR is currently in the off-season but you can still get your fair share of NASCAR. With new streaming devices that include YouTube, stream an old favorite race of yours. Read news on The Motorsports News Source, The Racing Experts, Fronstretch, or a long list of other websites that provide content every day. The support you the fans show goes a long way and can fix things a lot quicker. (Koelle,2017)