ChampCar Endurance Series announces the 2020 Nissan Motorsports Racer Support Program

Any ChampCar Endurance Series team or driver competing in an eligible Nissan vehicle can sign up for this program. Additionally, if you are competing in select race series or events, you may be eligible for contingency award payouts (see attached program rules). The program offers not only award payouts for top podium finishes but, also, advantages when purchasing parts.
The following pages describe the registration process, enrollment guidelines, parts purchasing program guidelines, contact information, forms necessary to complete the registration/payout process, listings of eligible race
series/events for contingency payout, and visual identity requirements.
Please call the Motorsports office at 1-888-833-3225 with any questions.

https://champcar.org/mainweb/uncategorized/2020-nissan-motorsports-racer-support-program/

Good for Nissan. But I can't help wondering what their angle is in supporting a "beater series" like ChampCar. Surely it's not going to help them sell new Nissans, except maybe indirectly through the goodwill of supporting grassroots racing. Then again, looking at those payouts, they are a rounding error to a company that size, so why not try?

LOL@ Beater Series.

I think they finally realize that the only good cars they ever made were the old ones. Thus, they are supporting brand notoriety, and awareness.

Now if only they could get a newer Nissan to get first place in anything.

https://champcar.org/register/events.php

51 chances to win some money. 51 endurance races in 2020. Including a double-8 at Circuit of the Americas, Double-10-Hour at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 14-Hours at Daytona, 14-Hours at Sebring, 14-Hours at Road Atlanta, 50-hours over 3 event weekends at VIR to include the 24-Hour Classic. And of course, New Years at Laguna Seca for a double-7-Hour. 

Lots of racers use Nissan pickups and SUVs to tow their "beaters", and, it's great advertising to a ChampCar membership that continues to fill up races with 75+ cars. 

_ said:

I think they finally realize that the only good cars they ever made were the old ones. Thus, they are supporting brand notoriety, and awareness.

Now if only they could get a newer Nissan to get first place in anything.

Kinda new... Nissan wins at Sebring just a few weeks ago.

Bill Strong said:

LOL@ Beater Series.

yeah, Champcar is far from a beater series these days.  In fact, its gone a bit too far for my liking.

I always liked the Altima coupe. It won a few races in the IMSA feeder series, that's the newest Nissan that isn't a GT-R that I can think of winning anything.

Tom_Spangler said:

Good for Nissan. But I can't help wondering what their angle is in supporting a "beater series" like ChampCar. Surely it's not going to help them sell new Nissans, except maybe indirectly through the goodwill of supporting grassroots racing. Then again, looking at those payouts, they are a rounding error to a company that size, so why not try?

Devil's advocate: I think it actually makes a lot of sense. Chumpcar is maybe the most promising wheel to wheel racing series that has popped up in the last decade. Realistically, they will probably pay out less than $5000 total per year, yet here we are talking about Nissan - something that I would never normally do because well.. it's 2020 Nissan. 

So THIS is why we don't have a 370Z replacement.

I keed, I keed. I fully expect them to just kill it off and go the way of Mitsubishi.

Bill Strong said:

LOL@ Beater Series.

Perhaps a bit unfair on my part, though I did put it in quotes. I was using a colloquial term to describe what is theoretically a low-cost-of-entry series. No disrepect meant.

Anyhow, my point is that they aren't going to be selling any brand-new cars to go and race in ChampCar. And most big companies don't spend any money unless they can show directly how they are going to make money from it.

But teams buy parts, and they’ll support a company that supports their racing.  A few thousand dollars to potentially sell 20-30 cars?  Seems like a pretty good bet to me.

Mazda seems to make it work for them.

wvumtnbkr said:

Mazda seems to make it work for them.

How many spec series is Nissan involved in?

You mean like this Micra spec series?

In reply to Bill Strong :

Sounds like a really cool program and a chance to have more money for the next race! (Because, lets be honest, winnings never go into your pocket. They always seem to find their way back into the car!)

Nice work Bill. Now time to get Honda on board. 

Nissan: we're just like Mazda, but you know, without any high-level racing programs!