Why is NASCAR apparel so loud?
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Have you ever wondered why some NASCAR apparel is so ... um ... distinctive? We did.
Whether you're a NASCAR fan or not, there's a good chance you can spot a NASCAR shirt from a good distance away. And if we told you to think of a piece of NASCAR apparel, you probably thought of something similar to these, where the screen print large and on both sides of the shirt.
If you're a fan and have a shirt or two resembling these, you're not alone (and we're not judging, there may be a similar shirt or three buried in our closet somewhere). There's a reason a certain segment of NASCAR apparel looks the way it does, and it's pretty simple.
People buy them.
"We might call them all-over print tees which is used quite a bit," NASCAR vice president of licensing and official products Blake Davidson told Yahoo Sports. "We also use, in deference to our fans, our loyal fan base, we'll call them loud and proud tees. So they definitely have been historically a big seller for us. Probably the number one selling style t-shirt that we have. And I think a lot of that stems from, going back to the fans, that they, in our estimation are the most loyal in all of sports, and they like to display their fandom."
How did the trend start? Davidson, who has been with NASCAR nearly 20 years, points to when NASCAR started attracting a diversified sponsor base in the 1990s.
"You had different brands coming into the sport using the sport to market in different ways," Davidson said. "You had a number of [consumer packaged goods] brands. You think back to Tide when they came into the sport. Targeting different consumers and I think a lot of those brands, they were about – they were colorful, impactful, bold, and those styles dictated what happened on the product.
"So if you were to use that example if you're Tide and it's Darrell Waltrip or it's Ricky Rudd in those cars. The product is always reflective of the sponsor, the sponsors are the team if you will. That's the identity. So the products I think changed around that time when you had a lot of those brands coming into the sport that at the time you would call non-traditional brands as it relates to NASCAR. They weren't from the automotive sector, they were just different for us."
According to Sports Business Journal, NASCAR merchandise had reportedly $1 billion in sales in 2010.
Davidson is quick to point out that NASCAR apparel isn't limited to the loud and proud T-shirts. The sanctioning body has continued to diversify its apparel offerings over recent years. As part of a new agreement with retailer Fanatics to run the sport's at the track sales, the number of NASCAR-licensed products available to purchase at the track will only increase because of Fanatics' new point-of-sale concept.
"Fashion plays a big role in what you buy ..." Fanatics Authentic president Ross Tannenbaum told Yahoo Sports. "You want to look good in what you're wearing, not just brand Jeff Gordon."
NASCAR partnered with Touch, an Alyssa Milano clothing line, in 2013 to sell fashion-forward NASCAR-themed women's apparel. It's not a stretch to say 20 years ago that the thought of partnering with the former star of Who's the Boss to sell NASCAR apparel didn't exist.
The sport also now has an expanded partnership with New Era, the hat-maker that provides the official hats for Major League Baseball. The company is making a number of different driver-branded hats and will provide the official Daytona 500 winner hats immediately after the conclusion of the race for both fans and the winning driver.
Instead of being prepared with hats for 43 different winners (think of the value of a 2015 Alex Bowman Daytona 500 champion hat), the company will use a heat seal technology to add the winning driver's number and signature to the hat after the race. According to NASCAR, New Era can produce four hats a minute.
In early 2014, Hendrick Motorsports and Michael Waltrip Racing entered into official partnerships with Under Armour to outfit their teams and pit crews with apparel. Officials from both teams mentioned the sleek and minimalistic look of UA's apparel as a selling point for the partnerships. Walking the garages, the jackets and hats are noticeable for those reasons.
However, that type of merchandise doesn't currently have a big segment in the NASCAR retail space, possibly because it's so different than the most popular NASCAR apparel. When talk of selling Under Armour branded NASCAR apparel came up, Tannenbaum didn't hesitate and said, "We're going to work hard to bring them in."
MWR said the partnership with Under Armour was intended as a team-only deal when it was signed and there are no current plans to sell MWR Under Armour apparel in the near future.
"Right now, I think just between us and Under Armour, we're really happy with where the relationship is at," MWR senior director of marketing Tyler Key said. "When it comes to the retail space, to be honest, I don't know if our drivers would sell enough to make it worth the investment by Under Armour to create [Clint Bowyer] Under Armour apparel."
Key didn't rule the possibility out, however, especially if the team has a successful 2015.
Hendrick, which has had a relationship with Under Armour since the mid-2000s, has already started selling some Under Armour hats and shirts on its website and according to HMS vice president of marketing Pat Perkins, is expanding its UA team offerings later this season.
"It gives us a good baseline to kind of test and say 'OK, what's working,' " Perkins said. "... And I think if we're seeing good traction with the fan, as imagine we will, because of the UA mark – people want that – and then couple that with the Hendrick mark, I think it will resonate real well with the fan."
Even if HMS Under Armour apparel sells well, it probably won't approach the level the all-over print shirts do.
"I believe loud and proud, the all over tee, will be the number one seller," Tannenbaum said. "But it sure doesn't mean that we can't grow this business pretty dramatically by creating all of these other products … better products for the person who is a Jeff Gordon fan but maybe not to that level of 'I live and die and want everyone in the world to know I'm doing it.'"
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
