Report: Monster Energy asks NASCAR for additional extension on sponsorship decision
By Nick Tylwalk
NASCAR has been willing to let its current top series title sponsor have as much time as it wants to consider a renewal, but that time might finally be running out.
There are many instances where no news is good news, but that doesn’t apply to the decision on whether Monster Energy wants to renew its deal with NASCAR for two more years so that we don’t have to get used to calling it something other than the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. From an outside perspective, it appears NASCAR has been quite accommodating, allowing the beverage company to put its name first and allowing multiple deadlines to come and go while it pondered the future of its sponsorship.
More recently, though, NASCAR Chairman Brian France hinted that there would be a hard deadline that needed to be honored at some point without revealing what it would be. Now it appears that date might be drawing close.
Adam Stern of SportsBusiness Journal, who has been doing excellent work covering this story from the very beginning, reported the latest twist today:
.@MonsterEnergy requested another extension on its renewal decision with @NASCAR, per sources, putting the brand’s title sponsorship of the sport in question —
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) February 26, 2018
— Unclear whether @NASCAR would accept request as it needs to begin planning for '19 soon.
📰: https://t.co/8L0oHhk2x9 pic.twitter.com/PjxDWIXqrl
IF NASCAR draws a proverbial line in the sand — an understandable move since it really does need to start more heavily courting replacements for 2019 if necessary — for the first time, one gets the feeling that Monster Energy might say the heck with it and bounce after just two years. Certainly, news like the fact that the Daytona 500 had the second-smallest audience ever probably doesn’t make Monster any more excited about continuing the relationship if it is truly on the fence.
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Monster’s seeming indecision could also be a negotiating ploy, as these things go when big business is involved. But with the racing season truly underway, something is going to have to happen sooner rather than later, and NASCAR undoubtedly knows that’s the case.