Categories
Endorsements Headline Sports Business

Wallace Family Racing Signs With Sponsorship And Endorsement Agency

NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Mike Wallace has signed with FWV for sponsorships and marketing services.
NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Mike Wallace has signed with FWV for sponsorships and marketing services.
NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Mike Wallace has signed with FWV for sponsorship and marketing services.

NASCAR’s only father/daughter/son racing family, Mike, Chrissy and Matt Wallace (“Wallace Family Racing”) has selected Raleigh-based French/West/Vaughan (FWV) as the entire family’s new marketing, public relations, sponsorship and endorsement agency of record.  FWV will work with the Wallaces to promote and brand the family and assist in acquiring corporate racing sponsorships with family-friendly companies.  This marks the first time that the family has gone outside of its circle to bring in assistance with sponsorship procurement.

Mike, Chrissy and Matt Wallace are currently race car drivers, but Mike’s brother and father were also once big in the sport.  In fact, Mike’s older brother Rusty was a NASCAR champion and was recently inducted into 4th class in NASCAR Hall of Fame as its youngest ever inductee.

“For all these years we found our own marketing partners and sponsors,” said Mike Wallace to Sports Agent Blog.  “FWV came recommended.  At a meeting, they explained what they can do, and we thought it was a chance and opportunity for both of us to expand our horizons – me going to an agency, which was new and for FWV, a company that had never really been in the race world before.”

Mike and Chrissy Wallace made NASCAR history at Talladega in 2009, when they became the first father and daughter to compete in the same race (Mountain Dew 250). Mike and Chrissy are excited to continue to compete together and announced that 17-year-old Matt will join them in select Camping World Truck races. NASCAR has never had a father, daughter and son compete in the same race.

FWV Chairman & CEO Rick French sees Wallace Family Racing as one of the most compelling stories in sports. “The Wallace name is analogous to racing royalty. Mike still has a lot of good years ahead of him, but when he chooses to retire from driving, he will have helped establish NASCAR’s first brother and sister team to carry on a family legacy that anyone who follows motorsports is intimately familiar with.”

The part about the relationship with FWV that Mike liked the most was that the company did not make any guarantees to him.  And he is happy that he won’t have to spend his time constantly seeking sponsors.  “I drive race cars for a living; it’s my full time job and how I make my living,” explained Mike Wallace.  “I was coming to a point in the sponsorship world that you’re not able to get to the right people right away.  The barriers have become much more difficult to get to the proper decision makers.  Instead of one person (self) trying to make it happen, I felt I needed a team to make it happen.  I race for a team, so I felt I also needed a team off the race track to help with all the ancillary things – funding, press, media.”

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.