Tony Stewart’s sponsors appear to be taking a wait-and-see attitude after the three-time Sprint Cup champ struck and killed another driver Saturday night.
But a marketing expert told The Post on Monday that it’s likely only a matter of time before they start jumping ship, even if Stewart is never criminally prosecuted.
A rep for Coca-Cola, one of Stewart’s 21 sponsors, only said Monday: “We are aware of the tragedy that took place over the weekend. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Kevin Ward Jr. and with Tony Stewart.”
The manufacturer of the leading soft drink — NASCAR’s official sparkling beverage since 1998 — stopped short of promising that its sponsorship of Stewart wouldn’t change.
“We haven’t made a decision about our plans,” the rep said.
Chevy also declined to elaborate beyond a few words provided by a vice president, Jim Campbell.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Kevin Ward Jr.,” Campbell said. “This is a sad and tragic event.”
Code 3 Associates, a nonprofit whose work includes animal-disaster rescues, features Stewart on its website.
“Code 3 Associates extends our hearts and thoughts to the Ward family during these trying and tragic times. Our thoughts and continued support are also with Tony Stewart,” it said.
While expressions of loyalty from Stewart’s impressive array of blue-chip sponsors must be comforting, sports marketer Ben Sturner predicted that many would ultimately leave the racing champ.
“I think they’ll wait a bit,” said Sturner, who runs the New York-based Leverage Agency and believes contractual issues could delay the anticipated exodus.
But “blue-chip sponsors are going to have real issues” with what happened on the dirt track in Canandaigua, he said.
Sturner even expects some sponsors to invoke “morals clauses” likely contained in their endorsement agreements with Stewart.
These clauses spell out unacceptable behavior for an endorser associated with a brand.
And it doesn’t have to be criminal behavior, either.
Nike, Oakley and Trek all abandoned Tour de France fraud Lance Armstrong before he admitted to doping, and sponsors faded from “Blade Runner” Oscar Pistorius even before his murder trial began.
Much will depend on the results of the police investigation, experts said. The degree to which video of the horrific accident goes viral also could play a role, they said.
The exit of sponsors would be a blow to Stewart-Haas Racing, which features Stewart and three other Nascar racers.
Forbes valued the team at $148 million in February 2014, making it Nascar’s fourth most valuable franchise.