Toy automobile:Hot Wheels Test Track Series: Ricky Rudd

Each car racing in a NASCAR-sanctioned race competes with the backing of a well-heeled sponsor. Corporations that hope to make customers of NASCAR fans spend millions supporting the drivers, pit crew, cars, transport, and other expenses of their "team." In return, corporations that spend the most to sponsor a team select the color-schemes of the team cars and place the company logo prominently on the car hood. Associate sponsors place smaller corporate logos on the sides of race cars or on quarter-panels. Smaller logos can cost as much as $1.5 million for a racing season. Major sponsors, of course, pay millions more. Much of the expense of sponsoring a race car on a NASCAR circuit covers fuel costs - not just the fuel costs on race day, but fuel to tests cars and to transport them and their pit crews, drivers, and back-up drivers from track to track.