LONG POND, Pa. -- As NASCAR chief marketing officer Steve Phelps explained the status of the search for a new sponsor to replace Sprint, the Pocono Raceway weather went from cloudy, to drizzle to sun breaking through the clouds all in 15 minutes.Was it a sign of the roller-coaster ride of the search for a Cup Series sponsor?Its all good, Phelps said.There is no sense of panic within Phelps as the sponsorship search continues and in some ways can be as unpredictable as the Pocono weather. When Nextel was announced to replace Winston in 2003, the deal came together quickly and was announced in June. Two years ago, the Xfinity deal to replace Nationwide as the sponsor of NASCARs top national developmental series was announced in September.The announcement of a new Cup sponsor likely will come later. Phelps told ESPN.com on Friday morning that an October announcement is the most likely scenario.It will be a fourth quarter [of the year] announcement, Phelps said The question is when? I dont know.He stressed not to confuse NASCAR not having a concrete feel of an announcement date with the search not going as planned. He said the timeline is tracking as NASCAR expected when Sprint announced in December 2014 that it would depart after the 2016 season.As NASCAR heads into the final five weeks of its regular season and the 15 final weeks under Sprint, the focus will remain on Phelps and his team to land the sports biggest sponsor. The search for a series sponsor in some ways is symbolic of the state and health of the sport. It would have been nice to have seen this wrapped up by now, but that just wouldnt be the reality of the business nor the NASCAR world in 2016.Weve got roughly 12 companies were still in discussions with, Phelps said. Theyre in various stages. I would say theres an opportunity that I believe we could get an offer from -- five or six.The process is going very well. The brands are a mixture of those that are not in the sport right now and some that are in the sport. Its a good list and were trying to determine what is the best for the sport overall.Considering companies are crafting budgets for 2017 over the next few months, it would be expected that they would need to know before October if they will have to spend what NASCAR requires. Nextel (now Sprint) was paying reportedly as much as $75 million a year at the start of its 10-year deal in 2004 in terms of fees to NASCAR as well as promotional commitments.NASCAR doesnt expect a 10-year deal this time around.It probably will be a shorter deal, Phelps said. It is something that bodes from our standpoint and as well a brand standpoint. ... Although we did a 10-year deal with Comcast (for the Xfinity Series); thats a bit of an anomaly in this world today.It will depend on the brand and it will depend on what we believe will be right for the sport.Even when NASCAR signs a deal, the steps prior to the announcement will depend on several factors. NASCAR wont want to tread on the media blitz of the end of the regular season or start of the Chase, possibly feeding speculation of the status of negotiations in order to make sure it does the announcement at the time that works best for NASCAR and its sponsor.Well do it the right way that works for whoever our new partner will be, works best for the sport and then with an eye to whats best for Sprint as well, Phelps said.The title sponsorship is critical to the sport as it contributes to the season-ending points fund, and the company involved extensively promotes the sport. Those CEOs trying to decide whether to do the deal likely will have reports on the business health of the industry.The three public companies that operate the bulk of NASCAR tracks report that their overall ticket sales since the Daytona 500 are down 10 percent in 2016. While there are some weather factors (and for Speedway Motorsports, its Texas IndyCar race from June being completed in August means that none of its ticket revenue has been accounted for in the latest financials), those are frustrating numbers.Reasons from the public companies range from the economy (especially blue-collar workers financial health) to the retirement (and now temporary un-retirement) of Jeff Gordon to the weaker Canadian dollars having impacted ticket sales.Both New Hampshire and Indianapolis the past two weeks appeared to have significant attendance declines.Television ratings and viewership are down 6 percent for the year. Phelps noted that both Daytona and Atlanta combined to have an 18 percent drop and theorizes that the improved 2016 racing has contributed to the chipping away of that decline.Indianapolis, for all its attendance woes, saw an 11 percent increase in viewership in a race with one pass for the lead under green but featuring the return of Gordon.When discussing those numbers with potential sponsors, NASCAR will say its pleased with its social and digital platforms. It has seen increased year-over-year growth in social media followers and people have watched four times the number of videos on Facebook and Twitter from the NASCAR accounts. NASCAR notes that its apps have been downloaded more than 754,000 times.Companies will take a wider-range look than just the past few weeks numbers when determining whether to sponsor the series, Phelps said.They will look at how have we performed over the past three years, what are the expectation moving forward? Phelps said. Were telling them this story about not just television, but were telling this story about digital and social and this changing consumption pattern for our fan base.Its a story that NASCAR has shared with the industry, especially through the Race Team Alliance of owners and the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers council.Three-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart, who is also a team owner, said the drivers council is one of the best things to happen in the sport, and it has created an unprecedented level of collaboration and consideration and trust of driver views, especially when it comes to competition-related issues. Obviously with a better product should come more fans that would make a series sponsor happy.Were all in this together, Stewart said. If this thing dissolved tomorrow, ... there would be a ton of people out of a job. We all want it to survive. We all want it to thrive and prosper. Air Max 97 Clearance . 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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The duo of Hannah Wilkinson and Anna Bialczak led a potent offensive attack for Tennessee in its 2-0 win over Texas A&M on Sunday evening at Regal Soccer Stadium.Wilkinson and Bialczak both had a goal and an assist on the night to lift the Volunteers (9-6, 4-3 SEC) to their third consecutive victory and sixth win in their last eight matches. Both goals came in the second half after neither team was able to find the back of the net in the opening 45 minutes. UT has now scored multiple goals in 10 of its last 12 games after scoring two or more goals just five times all of last season.Wilkinsons three points for the game propelled her up to third on Tennessees career points list with 76. She also moved into sole possession of second on UTs all-time goals chart with 30, trailing only Kylee Rossis 43 career goals from 2005-08.The Vols had the best of the chances and largely controlled possession in the first half, outshooting the Aggies 5-2. Texas A&M goalkeeper Danielle Rice made a pair of quality saves off a UT corner kick in the 34th minute, denying Maya Neal and Ariel Kupritz from inside the box.Wilkinson had the best chance of the half, nearly putting the Vols up 1-0 in the 41st minute. A great through ball from Claire Franks sprung Wilkinson free, but her shot from about 15 yards out curled just wide of the far post.The Big Orange broke the scoreless draw early in the second half with a goal off the head of Wilkinson in the 50th minute. The New Zealand native placed her header pperfectly to the back post off a great cross by Bialczak from the left flank.dddddddddddd Wilkinson is one of the hottest players in the country with goals in four straight games. She has racked up five goals, two assists and 12 points in that span to lead the Vols high-powered attack.The Aggies (7-6-1, 2-4-1 SEC) started to gain some traction after Wilkinsons goal but the UT defense held strong en route to posting its sixth shutout of the season. Sophomore goalkeeper Shae Yanez made four saves to earn her second-career shutout.The Orange and White put the final nail in the coffin with Bialczaks goal in the 86th minute. The Lutherville, Md., native corralled a cross from Wilkinson at the top of the six-yard box and easily taped it home from there to give the Vols a commanding two-goal lead with just over four minutes left in regulation.UT finished with a 14-9 shot advantage, led by Wilkinsons five attempts. Neal and Emily Morrow both picked up assists on the night as well. Haley Pounds led the Aggies with three shots and Rice finished with three stops in goal.With the win, Tennessee improved to 4-1 all-time against Texas A&M and remained unbeaten at home (3-0) against the Aggies. The Vols have only one game next week as they travel to Lexington to take on the Kentucky Wildcats next Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game can be streamed live on SEC Network +/WatchESPN (Online). China NFL Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap Basketball Jerseys Online Stitched Hockey Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys Football Jerseys Outlet College Jerseys For Sale Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys For Sale Wholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '