Okay, I’ve never seen them change the oil, but how did Goodyear and Sunoco snag those exclusive deals? And Sunoco? I can count on one hand the number of Sunoco stations I see, meanwhile Goodyear is a very popular tire.
It’s all about the money, honey.
Goodyear gets prime sponsorships because of their blimps, which are sought after for overhead TV coverage. Plus, they make tires...
Seriously, what people don't "get" about NASCAR is the testing. Today's pre-game show focused a few times on the testing aspect of racing. Goodyear tests the durability of their tires. Oil companies test the formulations of their gasolines for residue build-up, etc.
Sponsorship also comes from the behind-the-scenes sponsoring of performance testing by the manufacturers, whether they be oil, gasoline, tires, or the cars themselves.
-PJ