Well, I think FT has been trying to get into NASCAR. They have a owner of a car for an owner of FT. They have a Motor Sports Chapter and they have their name on a Race Car. I just read this though, that Prevost is the official Coach of Nascar. I wonder if it is time to rethink the branding.
Prevost Named NASCAR's Official Motorcoach | RV Business (http://www.rvbusiness.com/2013/03/prevost-named-nascars-official-motorcoach/)
I was thinking they might have a better shot being the Coach of College Football instead.
It was not all that long ago when Newell was all the talk in the racing circuits, heck, Roger Penske always seemed to have the newest, latest & greatest Newell along with his stable of drivers, NASCAR, USAC, INDY etc. that might have been when Newell used the DDC engines (Penske owned), who knows or cares, just a note on yesteryear. Normal is to follow the money trail ?
Dave M
I agree with you Dave. Follow the money but you are right about Newell wanting that business too.
Here is a nice page featuring Johanna Long driving the Foretravel #70 Chevy. She almost had a really good finish last week but got caught up in a wreck toward the end. A little more competitive car would see her with a lot of top ten finishes. Not easy to avoid accidents when you are back in the pack. I'm not a big Danica fan so would like to see Johanna or Simona De Silvestro do well.
ML Motorsports Home Page (http://mlracing.com/)
A good article about Johanna: Johanna Long bests Danica Patrick at 2012 Daytona Nationwide Series race - (http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/story/Johanna-Long-bests-Danica-Patrick-at-2012-Daytona-Nationwide-Series-race-022512#!clyfW)
Pierce
Considering the size of the NASCAR audience, every high end coach builder wants to be seen there. Showing off the newest biggest brightest most expensive rigs is part of the cache of the sport. My casual experience tells me Foretravel owners are accomplished, secure and find "showing off" a bit unbecoming.
BOb, you may be right but I know that Newell was and is working hard in that market and FT is as well. I thought it was interesting to see the official coach. I wonder how much it cost them to be named that?
ml racing is owned by Mary Louise Miller, wife of Dana Miller - equity owners of Foretravel.
- as you can see from their website ml racing has been involved in Motorsport racing at various levels since 1998, well before they became involved in Foretravel.
ML Motorsports Owner Page (http://mlracing.com/owner.html)
As a Member off the motorsports chapter, each year mlracing and Foretravel have hosted a nice gathering on the backstretch at Texas Motor speedway for the October Nationwide Series Race. (This is the NASCAR series that the #70 Foretravel Chevrolet competes in)
Dana Miller has done extraordinarily well in the Biotech Industry with a factory in Indiana, which is also the home state of mlracing.
For the Miller's I suspect it just all makes good sense combining the promotion of the Foretravel Brand concurrent with funding their passion for motorsports.
Yes, most of the elite drivers have Prevost conversions, but having spent a fair amount of time in the infield looking into the driver paddock areas, there are fifth wheel s and class A gassers in those compounds as well.
Frankly, I would rather see Foretravel on the hood of a Nationwide Car than pay NASCAR as Prevost did to become "the official coach of NASCAR", or whatever. There are very few new Prevosts or Newells outside the infield where the general fan base camps, but I see a LOT of high end Tiffins and American Eagle that might some day be a Foretravel prospect/customer.
The Miller's are very nice people (yup, well to do but nice), we should all feel some debt that they came in and rescued Foretravel from possible bankruptcy. Good for them they can combine their hobbies, business and passions.
I agree with you Tim. I am happy they stepped up. I bet it cost a lot of money to get that sponsorship too.