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The NASCAR brand is recognized worldwide as a premier sports property. More Fortune 500 firms utilize investment in NASCAR racing than any other sport. Landor Associates was cited in December 2004 as stating “NASCAR was the number6 brand in 2004 and is forecast to be the #2 brand in 2005, in front of Google and iPod,”

From its humble origins in the South, NASCAR racing has exploded to immense popularity across the whole U.S.A. lately. From the inaugural races started in 1948 to today's NEXTEL Cup and Busch series, NASCAR has become arguably the number one spectator sport in America, sporting 75 million fanatical fans.

The NASCAR recipe is one that no other spectator sport utilizes. Each Week, the leading teams (drivers) are competing straight up against each other. Unlike, for instance the NFL, where you could have to wait several weeks for that big competition, at a NASCAR race, you can follow number 1 battling number 2 every week. It’s nearly like having the U.S. Open of this sport every week.

Those who observe the races give credit to several factors to its’ success. Decades of history and a grass roots origin are a few of the reasons given for the sport’s success. The roots of the sport in the “bootlegging” days and the humble start of many of it’s first headliners seems to be a positive factor to buffs in this day of the spoiled, babied, arrogant professional athlete.

Interestingly, 40% of today’s race fans are women and 53% work in white-collar or skilled labor jobs. And even with this diversity, the counts continue to be impressive; annual attendance at courses is over 7 million and more than 275 million Americans watch on TV.

From small local tracks in the Southland, NASCAR has become big business today. With TV revenues, sponsorship dollars, and licensed merchandise sales, NASCAR generates huge bucks today. NASCAR merchandise sales now have risen to pass $2 billion per year and the markets continue to remain impressive. This is built on a 250% gain from 1995 to 2004.

Clothing such as warm NASCAR jackets, colorful NASCAR jerseys and  t-shirts, etc appear to be growing in growth as makers release expanded product sets and are even including more high-priced things like leather jackets and specialty things like jewelry. The true fanatic can even dress the entire household with fresh introductions of full NASCAR kids clothing and youth lines.

Race followers seem to have a huge pocketbook for products that shows backing for their favorite driver, whether it is by wearing NASCAR apparel, scarfing up accessories for their car or suv, or even decorating their residence. NASCAR clocks (wall and desk clocks), even blankets, sheets and wall tapestries are showing up in homes everyplace.

While the NASCAR diecast arena has slackened of late, it is still reasonable in size. As drivers switch their paint schemes, it allows manufacturers to develop the merchandise several times over in this niche and that helps keep gross sales moving.

Within the vast NASCAR products market, robust sub markets come out. NASCAR collectibles are large merely by themselves. A mixture of things from plaques and autographed photographs to diecast cars are gobbled up, partially due to popularity, but also in hope of appreciation in value for the collectables market.

Where will it all end? I don’t imagine we know, but when I see corporate secretaries putting on NASCAR hats to match their outfits and white collar managers donning bright NASCAR shirts with photos of “Junior” plastered on them, I wonder if there is a limit to this arena.