In 2008, EM Motorsports owner John Carter is a man on a mission. Carter's mission: to reach the top echelon of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and do battle with the large corporate teams which dominate the series.  Carter believes experience and hard work can become an equalizer when competing with the multi-car teams currently prevalent in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.  To accomplish his mission, Carter has been putting together an organization of others which hold the same traditional beliefs as he. This season Carter has recruited one of the most knowledgeable men is stock car racing history, James Hylton. Hylton brings over 40 years of experience as a driver, crew chief, and car owner to EM Motorsports. Carter has also hired NASCAR veteran Carl Long to both drive and serve as a technical resource during the 2008 season. Finally, Carter has began to utilize engines from a fellow Georgian, Ernie Elliot.  Elliot, who has long been associated with NASCAR Sprint Cup,  has 38 wins, 147 top 5’s, 142 top 10’s, 51 poles to his credit. 

NASCAR is the most popular spectator sport in the Unites States, hosting 17 of the top 20 attended sporting events in the country.  NASCAR is also the second most popular televised sport in the United States, trailing only the National Football League.   NASCAR also has a strong international presence with televised broadcasts in more than 150 countries.  NASCAR counts more than 75 million fans that annually purchase more than $ 2 billion in licensed product sales.

NASCAR fans are proven to be more brand-loyal than the rest of the sporting world,  which results in more than Fortune 500 companies participating in NASCAR than any other sport.  At present, there are more 100 plus Fortune 500 companies utilizing NASCAR to promote their brands.  NASCAR industry estimates show that NASCAR fans are three times as likely as non-fans to try and purchase NASCAR sponsors’ products and services.

In 2008, the Daytona 500 was viewed by 17.8 million viewers and the Las Vegas race was watched by 12.1 million viewers.  During 2006, an average of 7.9 million viewers per week tuned in per event and an average of 125,000 plus attended the event in person.  Detailed as follows is a chart prepared by Nielsen Media Research that list major markets and their NASCAR viewership:

NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES METERED MARKET TELEVISION PERFORMANCE (in thousands)