How to Get Sponsored by EPIC Racewear

EPIC Racewear, founded by Dan Bailey, builds custom firesuits, gloves, boots, crew shirts and just about everything else a team wears, and it also sells parts for the car, from body panels to nuts and bolts. The company has a big presence in Ontario and NASCAR teams in all three national series, but it is still fairly new to the U.S. market. When Bailey joined my Sponsorship Summit, he made it clear that EPIC is actively looking for racers, teams, tracks and series who can help it grow south of the border. His idea of a good partner is specific, and it has very little to do with where the logo goes.

EPIC is always looking

Asked if EPIC wanted new race teams, Bailey answered, "Always, always." And not just drivers. "It's anybody in motorsports, whether you're influencers, a track, a series, a sanctioning body, anybody that can use our product, which is anybody in motorsports. We're open to working with them." ▶ Watch Dan Bailey explain this

He's after new markets in general. "Any new market is what we're after," he said, "and anything south of the border is considered new market to me." He mentioned dirt racing and the ATV and UTV world as areas where EPIC has little presence today. ▶ See the full answer

Bring clients, not eyeballs

EPIC's customers are in the pits, not the grandstands, so Bailey doesn't put much value on a decal. "Our customer typically isn't sitting in the stands. So that logo on the side of the car, although it's cool, makes me feel good, it looks nice in photos, I don't know that there's a return on that for me," he said. When teams ask where he wants his logo, his answer is the back bumper, "because the guy behind you sees it then." ▶ Watch the clip

What he wants are introductions. "We're looking for them to bring us clients that we wouldn't have if we didn't have a connection with them," Bailey said. EPIC also has a branded merchandise and promotional products division, so the other businesses on your car are potential customers too. "Any of the clients that are associated with you on your race car, part of your series, business associates, we can service them as well." ▶ See the full answer

That's also how EPIC measures success. "When we start a relationship and we can exchange phone numbers right off the bat with a potential client, that moves the needle. We just need you to make that introduction to us." ▶ Watch Bailey on measuring results

Every racer is a customer, not just the winner

Because every racer in the field needs a suit, EPIC doesn't chase only the fastest drivers. "We aren't focused on just winners, because the guy from the front of the field to the back of the field can use our product. Each and every racer needs our product," Bailey said. ▶ Watch the clip

In fact, he said winners sometimes disappoint. "I understand racers sometimes feel that all they have to do is win, and that's good enough for me. Well, it's not, because as I said, the racer finishing 13th is my client as well. So often winners are the worst ambassadors, because they feel that they've done their job, they've won. But I need more." ▶ Watch Bailey on what he expects

Deals start small and grow with results

A typical EPIC deal is "a discount on products that you're going to buy anyway, so it's much the same as cash," Bailey said. "And it starts off small, right? We tiptoe, and the more you perform, the more you get." ▶ Watch the clip

Connections can take it much further. "Everything changes as the needle moves," he said. Years ago one driver picked up the phone while he was with a NASCAR Cup driver, and that call led to EPIC providing racewear for the Cup and Xfinity teams. Relationships in the garage followed. "We now deal with 11 teams based on one phone call." ▶ Watch Bailey tell the story

How to approach EPIC

EPIC doesn't require a deck. Bailey pointed racers to the company's partnerships email address and to the partnership links on its website, where you can fill out a form or upload a deck. "But just an open conversation is the best way to start. And it's very, very seldom that we say no," he said. "Of course, we would like to make sure that you have something to offer us, then we definitely have something to offer you. So it's got to be that two-way street." ▶ Watch Bailey on how to reach EPIC

Stay engaged after you sign

Once you're on board, don't disappear. "Be engaged. Don't just accept the sponsorship or the partnership and then not talk to me again until next season," Bailey said. "You have to tag me, you have to post... you have to put me in contact with other people, and ask me what else you can do. If you ask, I will tell you." In the first months of a relationship, the social media matters: "If my phone's going off and I see your race team, I'm happy." ▶ Watch the clip

His final advice was about what you can control. "Do what you say you're going to do, and maybe more. What you do off the track is more important than what you do on the track." A bad night can end early, but "you can control product activation on Saturday, or you can control your TikTok videos, or you can control unboxing videos." He also suggested befriending the local media at the track: "If you make their job easy, you will become their favorite spokesperson. And that's free. And if you become their favorite spokesperson, you soon become my favorite spokesperson as well." ▶ Watch his closing advice

Your checklist for EPIC Racewear

• Make a list of the teams, sponsors and businesses you can introduce to EPIC, including buyers of branded merchandise.
• Reach out by email or the partnership form on EPIC's website and start a conversation.
• Expect a discount to start, and grow it by delivering results.
• Tag EPIC, post regularly and ask what else you can do, all season long.
• Become the local media's go-to interview at your track.
• Look for markets where EPIC is still new, especially in the U.S.