07-18-2007, 09:42 PM
Budweiser and Earnhardt: It's Over
July 17,2007
Source: Insideline
JOLIET, Ill. ââ¬â Budweiser, the Anheuser-Busch beer brand, will end its relationship with NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. at the end of this season.
Hendrick Motorsports, the team Earnhardt Jr. will join next year, announced Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway that other sponsorship commitments will dictate a new sponsor for NASCAR's most popular driver.
Team owner Rick Hendrick did not reveal the sponsorship plans for Earnhardt, but speculation is that a Pepsi-affiliated brand will be displayed on Earnhardt's car. Coca-Cola has been signed as the official soft drink brand of International Speedway Corp. tracks beginning next year, leaving Pepsi with motorsports marketing dollars to spend. The Hendrick team has a sponsor relationship already in place with Pepsi.
Budweiser has been the primary sponsor of the Dale Earnhardt, Inc., No. 8 Chevrolet ever since Earnhardt Jr. became a full-time Cup Series driver in 2000. The company has been a primary sponsor of NASCAR racing cars since 1983, including a stint with Hendrick Motorsports.
Also not known is the car number that will be used by Earnhardt next year. At DEI, he has used the number that was associated with his grandfather, 1956 NASCAR Sportsman champion Ralph Earnhardt. He will replace Kyle Busch, who drives a Kellogg's-sponsored No. 5 Chevy for Hendrick.
Bud and corporate cousin Busch have other sponsorship commitments to NASCAR, including the Budweiser Pole Award and title sponsorship of NASCAR's second-tier division, the Busch Series.
July 17,2007
Source: Insideline
JOLIET, Ill. ââ¬â Budweiser, the Anheuser-Busch beer brand, will end its relationship with NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. at the end of this season.
Hendrick Motorsports, the team Earnhardt Jr. will join next year, announced Saturday at Chicagoland Speedway that other sponsorship commitments will dictate a new sponsor for NASCAR's most popular driver.
Team owner Rick Hendrick did not reveal the sponsorship plans for Earnhardt, but speculation is that a Pepsi-affiliated brand will be displayed on Earnhardt's car. Coca-Cola has been signed as the official soft drink brand of International Speedway Corp. tracks beginning next year, leaving Pepsi with motorsports marketing dollars to spend. The Hendrick team has a sponsor relationship already in place with Pepsi.
Budweiser has been the primary sponsor of the Dale Earnhardt, Inc., No. 8 Chevrolet ever since Earnhardt Jr. became a full-time Cup Series driver in 2000. The company has been a primary sponsor of NASCAR racing cars since 1983, including a stint with Hendrick Motorsports.
Also not known is the car number that will be used by Earnhardt next year. At DEI, he has used the number that was associated with his grandfather, 1956 NASCAR Sportsman champion Ralph Earnhardt. He will replace Kyle Busch, who drives a Kellogg's-sponsored No. 5 Chevy for Hendrick.
Bud and corporate cousin Busch have other sponsorship commitments to NASCAR, including the Budweiser Pole Award and title sponsorship of NASCAR's second-tier division, the Busch Series.