Sponsorship. It’s the lifeblood for most participants in short track racing.
On Sunday one driver will land a sponsorship deal that could make or break their 2021 racing season.
For the fourth consecutive year, Nicole LaRose will be awarding a local racing team with a special $5,000 sponsorship she has created through the sale of calendars featuring some of her best racing photographs from various tracks in 2020.
Once again like in years past, each person who purchased one of her 2021 calendars could enter the name of a driver for the sponsorship drawing. More than 300 drivers are entered for Sunday’s drawing.
In addition to a $5,000 check for sponsorship, the winner drawn Sunday will also receive 25 gallons of Sunoco Racing Fuel donated by New England Racing Fuel and a custom embroidered jacket.
The 20-year old LaRose, who serves as a multimedia reporter at Stafford Speedway, is the daughter of veteran short track racer Ernie LaRose.
With the COVID-19 global pandemic putting a hold on local short track racing in the spring, LaRose wasn’t she was sure she would be able to bring the contest back for the fourth year.
“With everything going on this year I wasn’t sure what was going to happen,” LaRose said. “Especially at the beginning of this year, we didn’t even know if race tracks were going to open at all. I had kind of put out a poll on Facebook asking people if I did a reduced prize would people still want calendars. I really didn’t know if I was going to be able to do it. But people said they still wanted the calendars and they didn’t care if I couldn’t do as much for the prize. Then Stafford Speedway ended up opening and that was just like ‘Thank god, at least we have something to work with.’”
During the 2017 season LaRose, of Plainfield, began posting pictures of cars at the track on social media and her dramatic photographs were getting plenty of attention. A crew member on her fathers race team suggested she make a calendar.
And so was born the idea of putting together a calendar of her race car photographs, but doing something unique with the proceeds.
Each person who purchases a calendar can enter the name of a driver to be placed into the drawing for the sponsorship.
For the 2018 season LaRose was able to award a $2,500 sponsorship to then NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour regular Chase Dowling and a $1,000 sponsorship to Seekonk (Mass.) Speedway regular Ryan Flood through the calendar sales.
In 2019 LaRose upped the game dramatically, offering a $5,000 sponsorship, which was won by Josh Hedges, who went on to win the Late Model championship at Star Speedway in Epping, N.H. The 2020 $5,000 sponsorship was won by Wall Stadium driver Bryan O’Shea.
LaRose said the 2021 calendar sales proved challenging with far less events at local tracks, but she was still able to sell out her inventory once again.
“It was mostly online sales,” LaRose said. “I like being able to walk into someone’s trailer and meet their crew and converse with people rather than sending people a calendar from an online order. But it is what it is this year I guess. I’m just glad we could still do it.”
The drawing for the sponsorship will be broadcast live on LaRose’s Nlarophoto Facebook page and the Nlarophoto Instagram page Sunday at 7 p.m.
Wish more of the youth would follow this and get motivated. Every track should have something in place to help a team or teams . T-shirts are not enough . Great Job Kid.
Nicole is doing a great thing. That money will change someone’s season. Thank you Nicole.
Great job by this young lady!