NASCAR Sponsors
Even Dale Jr Needs A Sponsor
You know times are hard when Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Rick Hendrick can’t find a sponsor. The United States Navy has announced they’re leaving Junior’s Nationwide team.
Last year Junior and Hendrick announced they were merging their Nationwide series programs – and would operate the No. 88 and No. 5 cars out of Earnhardt’s JR Motorsports shop.
Now the operation is scaling back. People at JR Motorsports are losing their jobs, and expenses are being slashed.
“We’ve been working aggressively to secure funding to continue with two teams in the NASCAR Nationwide Series,” said Kelley Earnhardt, General Manager of JR Motorsports.
“The economic climate is difficult, as everyone is aware, and that is affecting every company’s ability to spend. The 2008 season will be ending in less than three weeks, and preparations for next season are already underway.”
“We do not anticipate getting the funding required to field two teams after the end of this season, and we need to make adjustments now to prepare JR Motorsports accordingly. We are reducing our workforce and budgets to comply with a new plan for 2009, which at the present time is to field the #88 team full-time with driver Brad Keselowski and the #5 team on a limited basis with a select group of drivers.”
JR Motorsports isn’t alone. Other big name teams are also having a hard time attracting sponsors.
Dale Earnhardt, Inc. has a sponsor locked up for only one of their four teams – Martin Truex, Jr.’s job is safe, with Bass Pro Shops backing him. Regan Smith and Aric Almirola are still without sponsors for 2009 – with no word yet if anyone will replace Paul Menard in the No. 15 car after he bolted from DEI taking his sponsor with him.
Bam Racing has suspended operation of the No. 49 car while it searches for sponsorship.
Yates Racing has operated most of this year either without sponsors, or with a race to race deal with a handful of smaller sponsors. In 2009 they will have full sponsorship from Menards with Paul Menard behind the wheel. No word on the other two cars of David Gilliland and Travis Kvapil.
Michael Waltrip Racing has lost UPS as a sponsor. The delivery company is headed to Roush Racing in 2009 for David Ragan.
Even NASCAR itself has had sponsorship issues. It took longer than expected to find a sponsor to replace Craftsman in the Truck Series – Camping World finally came aboard at the last minute.
Race teams can only operate out of their own pocket for so long.
If this continues we won’t be talking about the top 35 rule much longer. Instead we’ll be talking about less than full fields and start and park drivers.
It’s the economy – and NASCAR is suffering along with everyone else.
