Does Win on Sunday Still Mean Sell On Monday?

Chevrolet's SS at Daytona

Looking at recently released auto industry sales results for 2014, it would appear “Win on Sunday” no longer means “Sell on Monday.” 

But that only tells part of the story.

The Chevy SS won 20 Sprint Cup races last year, the manufacturers’ championship (for the second straight year) and was driven to the driver’s championship by Kevin Harvick.

Yet Chevrolet sold just 2,479 SS last year, the fewest sales of any car in its lineup.  Even the electric Volt sold more than 18,000.  In comparison, the Toyota Camry, which won just two Sprint Cup races, was the best-selling car in America with 428,860 sold, while the Ford Fusion, with 14 wins, sold 306,860.

So it should be no surprise that GM is already wavering about the future of the SS in NASCAR beyond 2015.  The SS is built in Australia, due for an overhaul next year and is very likely to be replaced. That’s not a big deal, as Chevrolet’s NASCAR nameplate over the years has bounced around between the SS, Malibu and Monte Carlo.  The SS is simply a “Halo” car for the division.  Actual sales aren't all that important.

In fact, “sell on Monday” has taken on new meaning in recent years.  Toyota made it very clear when it first entered NASCAR 10 years ago that its main goal wasn’t selling Camrys.  It was already selling all Camrys it could build and still does.  Toyota’s goal was to sell the brand, especially in the fast-growing southern market.  Company executives say that has been a big success and that their vehicles are now considered on a par with Chevrolet and Ford.

Ford argues that “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday” still holds true.

"We have generated 570,000 leads yet this year, up 60% from a year ago," said Jamie Allison, director of Ford Racing, at the 2014 season finale at Homestead.  "We track sales, match to leads generated from on-track activation, and our sales are up 90 percent versus a year ago.  So success on the track translates into fan consideration and purchase intention.

“Whoever said 'Win on Sunday, sell on Monday,' it's absolutely true, because we're seeing it in the evidence of the data that we have."

Tasca also fielded one of the first funny cars

“Win” Trivia:  Allison should know the late Ford dealer Bob Tasca is usually credited with having coined the phrase “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday.”  Tasca was a disciple of a Ford regional manager named Lee Iacocca.  When Iacocca was promoted to head Ford Division, he launched a “Total Performance” marketing program, hoping to shake the company’s “fuddy duddy” image.  Tasca was one of the first on board and commissioned Holman & Moody to build him a Ford Galaxie drag racer.  “Tasca Ford” would become a famous racing sponsor during the ‘60s when cars often carried a dealership’s name on its rear quarter panel. When asked why, Tasca reportedly responded, “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.”   The tradition has continued and grandson Bob Tasca III is currently a very successful drag racer.