Fast Companies

Auto Racing has never been a sport for the impecunious, and the already substantial cost of fielding a competitive car has risen steeply in recent years. So have the prices sponsors pay to put their names on those rolling billboards. Still, companies are lining up to be sponsors, especially for NASCAR . The series' 32 races, all televised, draw 148 million viewers; race attendance is 5.6 million. That means Kellogg's sponsorship of Terry Labonte 's Chevrolet (right), at an estimated $6 million per year, reaches almost 154 million potential Corn Flake eaters—figures even an accountant could love.

TERRY LABONTE 'S 1997 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO

NASCAR
BUDGETS OF TOP TEAMS: $10 MILLION
PRIMARY SPONSORSHIP ( Kellogg's Corn Rakes): $3 MILLION TO $6 MILLION
SECONDARY SPONSORSHIP ( Quaker State ): $200,000 TO $1 MILLION

EQUIPMENT COSTS
$33,000 Chassis and skin
$35,000 to $40,000 Engine
$1,750 Wheels and tires (set of four)

COST PER RACE TO PRIMARY SPONSOR
$187,500
With more races (32) and higher TV ratings than the other major racing series, the Winston Cup is a relative bargain for sponsors.

BUDDY LAZIER 'S 1997 DALLARA-AURORA

IRL
BUDGETS OF TOP TEAMS: $3.5 Million to $4 million
PRIMARY SPONSORSHIP (Delta Faucet): $1.5 million to $4 million
SECONDARY SPONSORSHIP ( Montana ): $50,000 to $250,000

EQUIPMENT COSTS
$263,000 Chassis
$75,000 Engine
$5,000 Wheels and tires (set of four)
$12,500 Wings (for superspeedways)

COST PER RACE TO PRIMARY SPONSOR
$500,000
With low TV ratings, no-name drivers and just eight races, the IRL is a good value only to a sponsor who really, really likes racing

JIMMY VASSER 'S 1997 REYNARD-HONDA