Ever wondered what kind of return you get from open wheel racing in the US? New research conducted by Joyce Julius & Associates, which measures sponsorships across all forms of media, showed that Chip Ganassi team sponsor – Target’s name or logo was monitored for more than four hours and 31 minutes during the recently completed Indy season. The value? About $16 million.

Target sponsored the cars of Scott Dixon, who won the Indianapolis 500 and the season championship, and Dan Wheldon. The company drew 166 mentions on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Classic.

Forty percent of the value, or $6.4 million, came from the 500. On average, the sponsors in the top 10 of the Indy Racing League realize 53.2 percent of their television exposure from the marquee event.

Motorola, the primary sponsor on Danica Patrick’s car, collected $6.9 million in exposure in 2008, with nearly 70 percent of its season-ending total stemming from the Indy telecast.

The rest of the top five sponsors were 7-Eleven ($4.7 million in exposure value), GoDaddy.com ($4.7 million) and McDonald’s ($4.6 million).

Primary sponsorships in the IndyCar Series range from $2.5 million to $7 million.

Three time NASCAR Championship winner Jimmy Johnson has added to his fan base

The significance of becoming just the second driver to win three consecutive Sprint Cup championships is beginning to sink in for Jimmie Johnson.

In the media rounds he has been making since wrapping up the title Sunday in Homestead, one moment stands out. It was during a visit to ESPN’s headquarters.

“I walked in and the first person I saw in the hallway was (NFL analyst) Mike Ditka,” Johnson said on a teleconference this week. “I introduced myself to him and he said, ‘I know who you are, champ. And by the way, you are a dynasty.’ That one caught me off guard.”