US National Guard Drop Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Sponsorship in NASCAR & IndyCar

The US Army National Guard have revealed they will drop their sponsorship of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing in NASCAR and IndyCar.

The decisions follow an “intensive internal review, buy ” according to the announcement.

“Significantly constrained resources and the likelihood of further reductions in the future call for more innovative and cost-effective ways of doing business, medicine | ” said Maj. Gen. Judd Lyons, pills acting director of the Army Guard, in the announcement.

The Army Guard spent $32 million on its NASCAR sponsorship and $12 million on the IndyCar sponsorship for 2014, according to the announcement.

The Army Guard came under fire earlier this year for spending $26.2 million to sponsor NASCAR racing in 2012 to boost its marketing and recruiting but failing to sign up a single new soldier through the program, according to a USA Today report.

At the time, Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., assailed the Guard for “wasting a bunch of money on a very expensive sports sponsorship,” the newspaper reported.

Sports sponsorships have played “an important role” in helping the Army Guard build strong brand awareness, but existing contracts are set to expire at the end of the current season, Lyons said in the announcement.

The Army Guard’s recruiting goal is the “second largest” in the Department of Defense, second only to the active Army, Lyons said in the announcement.

“To make best use of limited marketing dollars, future programs will have to sustain the Army National Guard brand with the American public and also generate quality leads that will fill our ranks with the best soldiers that America has to offer,” he said.

The Army Guard’s fiscal 2015 marketing budget is expected to be about half of what it was three years ago.

“We share a common commitment to the American people to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” Lyons said. “We will continue to assess and refine our programs to ensure we get the best return on investment.

Bobby Rahal, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing with David Letterman and Mike Lanigan, said: “We were informed this afternoon that the National Guard will end all sponsorship of motorsports, including both IndyCar and NASCAR at the conclusion of the 2014 seasons.

“This is obviously very disappointing news to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing given the significant incremental brand exposure we have worked to produce for the National Guard in our first season together, including various off-track marketing and advertising programs focused on supporting the mission set forth. We will continue to work hard to uphold the honor and integrity of the National Guard throughout the remainder of the season.”